Battle of Water Front
by Calissa.Drey
Summary: What happens when Luke fails to bring out the good in Darth Vader? Endor did not go as planned. Luke could not bring himself to kill his father. Now, Vader is eager to make Leia join his side. Will Leia be able to handle the powers of the Force, or will she fall to the Dark Side and join her father to rule the Empire?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer- I do not own Star Wars**

 **Prologue: Battle of Endor**

They won.

They defeated the Empire.

The explosion of the Death Star lit up the sky and the sound of fireworks soon followed. Leia glanced over at Han and gave him a small smile. He looked at her, his eyes shining a vibrant brown. He smirked and cupped her cheek with a firm hand. He pressed his lips to hers, pulling her closer.

Leia let out a small laugh. She heard the Ewoks celebrating and felt Han's arm snake around her waist. She felt all of their happiness radiating through her, and everything was perfect.

Well, almost perfect.

Leia suddenly felt a large wave of sadness overcome her. A sense of sorrow. Someone in the area was completely devastated. She frowned in confusion, wondering who could possibly be feeling this way after such a victory.

The princess decided to try and let the feeling slip away, but it seemed as each moment passed, the sadness only grew stronger. She pressed her hand to her head and closed her eyes. She was not familiar with the ways of the Force. She did not understand how to wield her power, whatever power she supposedly had, so she was merely attempting to hone in on this person.

"Leia?" Han's voice was filled with concern. He noticed that she was slowly distancing herself from the others. Usually, that was what she did. She isolated herself from celebration, because in her mind, the war was not won just yet. But, this time it was different. The war _was_ won. "What's wrong?"

"Luke." She flicked her gaze at him and narrowed her eyes.

Han gave her a puzzled expression. "Luke? What about him?"

"I need to find him."

Han crossed his arms defensively. He was not jealous of the kid, even if he was a powerful Jedi and had just defeated the empire. However, he maybe did feel slightly self-conscious that Leia wanted to be with Luke right now of all people.

"Why do you need-" Han started to ask when she turned away from him and started walking towards where Luke's craft would land. "Hey, Leia!" He called after her, trying to shout louder than the Ewok's rhythmic drum sounds on the Stormtroopers helmets.

"Leia, wait!" He shouted out again.

When she did not respond, he decided to follow after her. Just because the war was won did not mean that she was ensured safety. Stormtroopers could still be lingering around somewhere. He ran, taking large strides, and caught up to her.

Leia spared him a glance and what would look like an unreadable expression to the public, was an emotion that Han could pick up easily on her. She was obviously upset about something.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop. She looked up at him and gave him a distressed expression. "What happened to Luke?"

"Nothing." She shook her head quickly. "At least, I don't think anything happened. I'm not really sure what is wrong."

"Sweetheart, you have to give me some more information here."

Leia stared at him a moment. She knew that she could trust Han. She loved him. She loved him more than she loved anyone. She knew that he wouldn't care about her heritage.

"Luke is my brother."

Han stood there, his mouth twitching slightly before he nodded. He felt a mixture of shock and relief flood through his body.

"That's not all." She looked away from him. "Darth Vader. He…he is my father."

Han felt his mouth open slightly. He watched as Leia's shoulder dropped in defeat from the statement and immediately felt the need to make her feel better. He ran his hand over his jaw.

"He may have your blood, but he is not your father."

Leia gave him a small smile and started to reply when a shimmer of silver broke through the sky. Luke's space craft slowed and started to descend to land. Leia's hand reached out to Han and she intertwined their fingers as the ramp lowered and revealed a figure.

Luke stepped forward, his black uniform tattered and worn. His eyes were weary. His lightsaber was still in his hand, the light glowing.

"Leia," The young Jedi's lip wobbled as he took a few steps toward her. "I was wrong about father. There is no more good left in him."

Leia gave her brother a small frown. She was not surprised to hear this. She did not think that Lord Vader ever had good in him. But, Luke was optimistic, and she could not bring herself to tell him what she thought.

"What happened?" She ventured, Han's hand tightening around hers.

"The Emperor was going to kill me. I was defenseless and defeated, and then father saved me. He murdered the Emperor and saved my life. I thought this meant that he had changed. I thought that since he saw his son's life in danger, he would rebel against the Dark Side."

Leia bit her lip and exchanged a glance with Han. She did not like what she was hearing.

Luke clicked off his lightsaber and slid it into the holster. "He handed me my lightsaber and told me to leave. He told me that he could not kill me because he still saw potential. He said he thought that in time, I would join him."

"You had to kill him, Luke." Han said lightly. He could sense the discomfort the kid was feeling. He knew that it must be taking a toll on him.

"No," He breathed out. "I couldn't. I couldn't kill him."

Leia felt herself stiffen. She looked at her brother in disbelief. He didn't kill him? The monster that took away almost everything from them was standing right in front of him, and he didn't kill him?

"Leia, I know you are mad, but-" Luke stammered.

" _You didn't kill him?"_

"You have to trust me. The Force, it- it just wasn't the right time. "

"How could there be a right time?" She felt Han place a protective hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not the person who is supposed to kill him." He said quickly, trying to explain. "Father thinks I will join him in time. It's you, Leia _._ It has always been you. You resisted him when no one else could. You are stronger than anyone. He wants to turn you, make you the new apprentice, but he knows the journey will be hard."

"He's going to try and make Leia turn to the Dark Side?" Han asked bitterly.

"Yes." Luke nodded slowly, looking at the couple in front of him. "And if he fails, he plans on using her to make me turn."

The happiness that Leia was feeling was gone. What she felt only a few minutes ago was now a foreign concept. Now, she just felt empty.

The Empire was still alive.

Darth Vader was still alive.

And the battle that she thought had ended the war had only been a catalyst into the start of another.


	2. The Brink of War

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.**

 **Chapter 1: The Brink of War (Set several months after the Battle of Endor)**

 **Author's Note: Thank you for all your feedback! It is much appreciated! I hope you enjoy this chapter! If you are a Luke fan, the next chapter will be for you. (:**

Leia stood with her shoulders pulled back stiffly. She was near the edge of the beach, lines of soldiers standing behind her. The military clothing that was tight on the others hung somewhat loosely off of her skin. General Rieekan and General Dodonna stood a few paces ahead of her, speaking in hushed voices. The soldiers stood silently as they waited for the signal to attack.

Darth Vader was lingering nearby. She knew that not only because of Luke's frantic revealing of his presence to the high command, but because she too could feel the Dark Lord's energy in a close proximity to them. Quite frankly, she was worried about the battle. But, she did not give her thoughts away to Han, who had been giving her anxious glances the entire day. If she revealed her worry to him, he would convince Rieekan to relieve her of her duty at this battle.

Leia did not necessarily want to be there herself, but after the Battle on Endor a few months ago when Luke came back to them so hopelessly defeated, she knew she needed to be here for him. His hope in their father to change had taken a detrimental blow. He had spent day after day meditating, searching for his previous Jedi masters. He was desperately trying to find answers. Yet, he had found nothing.

After several attempts, he decided that he would have to make a call about the battle without the proper guidance. Once Leia found out they were going to pursue Darth Vader at this battle, she knew she had to come. There was never a battle in the past that she shielded away from, and this would not be the start. Her true parentage meant did not waver her. However, this caused quite the argument with Han.

 _"Leia, you aren't going to that battle." He stated firmly, leaving no room for an argument._

" _Yes, I am. This isn't your decision to make." Leia had obviously no qualms with continuing._

 _Han ran his hand through his hair. "What's it going to take to get it through that thick skull of yours? Luke said that he hasn't been able to speak with Obi-Wan yet!"_

 _"Luke needs me there, Han! Mon Mothma needs me there! General Dodonna! General Rieekan! The only person who seems to have a problem with it is you! Luke wouldn't let me go if I were in danger."_

 _His eyes narrowed and his hands flicked into the air in irritation. "You think Luke really knows what is going to happen? You think that Mon Mothma cares about your safety? Jan Dodonna would gamble your life away if it meant we would win this war! Dammit, Leia, I'm trying to protect you here!"_

 _Leia's eyes softened as she saw the visible pain on his face._

 _"I can't lose you, Princess." His eyes were wide._

 _She stepped towards him, reaching her hand up to stroke his cheek. She stood up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. "You won't lose me."_

Leia felt herself start to smile as she remembered the events that had followed. The way Han's hands had found themselves wrapped in her braids. The way they had ended up on the couch, hands wandering under clothes, kissing each other fiercely…

"Your Highness," General Rieekan called to her, beckoning her to step forward. He was no longer with General Dodonna. Her smile faltered and the memory faded as she moved towards the General. She was poised, as her father always taught her to be, but she lacked her usual tenacity when it came to dealing with a battle. It wasn't obvious to many of the soldiers, even most of the high command. But, Carlist had known the Princess since she was a child, and he noticed that something seemed a little off.

She was nervous. More nervous than she ever was before the start of combat. Her eyes kept flicking around the place. Her hand anxiously messing with her braids. It would take the careful eye to notice. Rieekan had been skeptical at first, but after watching Han Solo staring at Princess Leia like she was about to break, he could tell there was an issue.

"Is something wrong?" She kept her face void of any emotion, lifting her brow slightly.

"I was going to ask you the same question." He offered her a small smile.

Leia gave a small shrug. "I appreciate your concern, but the battle field is no place to discuss emotions. You are a war General, not a therapist."

"Forgive me, your Highness." He bowed his head. "I only wanted to ensure your head was clear. No soldier should go into battle when they are already having one in their mind."

Leia watched him a moment and nodded at him slightly. "I am fine, Carlist. Thank you."

"I promised your father I would look after you." He placed a hand on her shoulder, reminding her as he often did.

Leia tired her best not to tense as she heard those words.

 _Father._

The word no longer meant only Bail Organa. Anytime someone mentioned it, she would think of two men. One honorable man, who offered the galaxy peace and freedom. The man who raised her and taught her everything she believed in. She would also think of one malicious man, who enslaved the galaxy and murdered innocent people. The man who destroyed everything she held dear in life.

Luke had advised that it would be best not to reveal to the public their true heritage. The public already knew that he and Leia were siblings and that there father was Anakin Skywalker. But, no one knew that Anakin also happened to be Darth Vader, not even their closest allies. Leia had no intention of ever letting the public know this information either.

"You were one of Bail's most respected men," She replied to him. "You are also one of mine."

He patted her shoulder, nodding with gratitude.

A rustle of movement from behind the pair caused them to turn. General Dodonna was approaching them, a stern look on his face.

"General Rieekan, Princess." He greeted them. "We have received word that Lord Vader does not plan to attack until morning."

"He's waiting?" Rieekan asked, befuddled. "Why he is waiting?"

"It is unclear. Mon Mothma contacted us from the command center. The rebel spies gave her the information only moments ago."

"Have you relayed the information to Luke?" Leia asked, glancing around to see where he might be lingering.

"Not yet. I thought it would be best to let you and General Rieekan be aware first." General Dodonna explained. "I also think that we should hold a small meeting and revise our plans for the battle."

"I agree." Rieekan nodded thoughtfully. "We need to make our soldiers aware of the change. I'll see to it that they are informed. General Dodanna, if you could find Luke, and Princess, if you could get General Solo, we can hold the meeting in base headquarters in one standard hour."

Leia nodded and watched as the two men departed. She felt a sudden surge of pride as she watched them. They had been fighting in this war longer than anyone. They risked their lives on a daily basis. Although Jan Dodonna remained behind the scenes a lot with Mon Mothma, he still came to the big battles, which Leia was forever grateful for. His tactics, however odd they tended to be, always seemed to benefit in some way. She would have never made it this far without them.

Leia turned away, adjusting her military uniform in slight discomfort, and began making her way over to Han.


	3. A Final Attempt

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 2: A Final Attempt**

 **A/N: The wait is finally over! It was a much longer wait than I anticipated, so I do apologize. However, you get Luke in this chapter so you can't be that mad.**

 _Yoda._

 _Answer me, please._

 _I have been patient. I am doing the best that I can, but I need your guidance. Leia needs your guidance._

Nothing.

 _Have I made the right decision, bringing my sister to this battle?_

Luke's palms tightened slightly, and he tried to open up his mind even more.

 _Father is close. Leia is untrained. I am becoming worried, and I need to remain calm. If anyone could sense how unsure I am…._

 _Obi-Wan! If you could just let me know that you are there, that you are listening and are aware of the decisions I've had to make. I don't know what the right thing to do here is. My mind is clouded. I still have faith in my father, even though I know that I shouldn't. He has made his choice clear, but I still believe he can change. However, I don't want to put Leia in any danger. She holds so much anger from what Darth Vader did to her. She is more of a threat to herself than he is to her._

 _Leia is strong, though. She is stronger than anyone I know. She can resist him and bring him back to the light._

 _Am I right? I have so many doubts. Yoda, I-_

Luke felt a presence enter his proximity. He stood up from his meditation position and spun around to meet the visitor. Jan Dodonna was carefully maneuvering himself across the patches of rocks to reach him.

"General Dodonna!" Luke called out to him. "You just wait there! I'll come to you!"

Dodonna gave him a small smile and gratitude. "I'm sorry to disturb you. I know you are trying to contact the other Jedi, but the matter is rather urgent."

"Is something wrong?" Luke asked, feeling slightly annoyed with himself for not picking up on the distressed energy around him. He began making his way across the rocks.

"We are holding an emergency meeting to discuss a change in attack plans." The General informed him.

Luke let out a sigh. "I am not picking up much from Vader. I know he is near, but I can feel him blocking me."

"Any luck with your meditation?" He asked tentatively.

Luke frowned and shook his head. "I guess everyone is blocking me." He was trying very hard to not become irritated with the Force, especially in such a delicate time, but it was becoming almost impossible not to become frustrated. Yoda and Obi-Wan weren't responding, Vader was blocking him, Leia was unknowingly blocking him, and he was so overwhelmed with it all that he was really just off of his game.

General Dodonna motioned for him and Luke to start walking towards the metal tent where the meeting would be held. For a majority of the walk the pair walked in silence. They had a brief chat about how the squadron was holding up and the supplies, but other than that the two did not have much to say to each other.

Usually, Luke loved the silence. His mind was always reeling and Han and Leia always had something to say, whether it be an argument with each other or simply talking about their day in detail. Luke really didn't get much silence. However, he had grown to hate silence in the past few months.

Most surprisingly, Han had grown unbelievably silent, his jaw often set in discomfort. He rarely spoke to Luke, unless is was in regards about Leia. Luke had to admit that he missed him, They were friends, brothers really, but he understood the immense stress Han must be feeling. His whole world was Leia, and she was having arguably the worst time of them all.

Yet, Han usually always said something. He had a big mouth and often said too much. Luke felt like he was letting everyone down, and Han's silence really proved to him how much he was.

The pair approached the small military style tent, Dodonna entering a long code filled with numbers and letters. Luke watched him type with vague interest, but was unable to pick out most of the code due to the Generals fast typing.

The door made a high pitched squeal and then proceeded to open. Luke smiled faintly as the figures inside turned to see who was entering. General Rieekan sat next to a holo of Mon Motha, who was shimmering dully at the head of the table. Leia was across from Rieekan, and Han next to her.

Luke followed in after Dodonna, who took a seat next to General Rieekan. This left the other head of the table for Luke. He let out an internal sigh.

 _They're all looking to for answers…and I have nothing to give them._

"Hello, Commander Skywalker." The holo of Mon Mothma said in a static voice. Luke started to reply when the holo cut him off. "I would like to conduct this meeting with an informal greeting, but time compels me to make this brief. We need to discuss our next course of action."

"Commander, have you been able to contact the Jedi?" Rieekan asked, full of hope.

General Dodonna cleared his throat. "No, he hasn't."

Luke crossed his arms as he felt all the eyes fall onto him. He looked over at Leia, trying to gauge how she was feeling. "What exactly are Vader's plans? What has changed?"

"Mon Mothma said he does not plan to attack at the time we anticipated." Leia explained.

"In fact, we don't think he wants to make the first move." Mon Mothma added.

Luke nodded. This was very odd. Vader always took the offense. He didn't wait for the others to attack. He was aggressive, not passive. Why was he waiting?

Han shifted in his seat and caught Luke's attention. Again, he was being uncharacteristically quite. He always had an opinion on the battles. "Han, what do you think?"

The man cut his eyes over to him. He let out a low laugh. "Why are you certainly interested in what I think? This whole thing is based off what you think, kid." Leia placed a hand on Han's leg and he looked over at her. She gave him a long gaze which caused him to wince slightly. Whatever she did, Luke realized Han was going to give a real answer.

"You want my opinion, alright. Alright." His voice still sounded slightly bitter. "Your wonderful father wants us to attack first so that he can get Leia easier."

Luke considered his words. "So, we should just wait until he attacks us?"

"But we have limited supplies!" Dodonna protested. "He could just starve us out if we wait here for him to attack.

"Vader doesn't have the patience." Han argued. "He wants to take away our advantage point."

"We do stand a better chance on the area we scouted and the land we are more familiar with." General Rieekan added thoughtfully.

"Vader is on the planet." Leia spoke up suddenly, her hand placed on her temple.

 _How can Leia feel his presence, when I can feel nothing?_ Luke closed his eyes in frustration. _Father, stop blocking me out. I know that you are here!_

"If Vader is on planet, it is only a matter of time before he does lose his patience. He will not also want to waste his supplies." Leia stated. "I see no reason that we should change our plan. We must merely wait for him to attack. We keep our guard up."

"What if he never attacks us!" General Dodonna threw his hands in the air.

"Leia will know when he is coming." Luke said quietly. "She will know if he changes his mind. There is an open line of communication that Vader has opened. He wanted his presence to be known to her for a reason."

"You're communicating with Vader?" Mon Mothma asked skeptically.

"I…No. I mean, not really. It's just that…" She looked at Han desperately, and then to Luke.

"It's more like Vader is communicating with her." Luke clarified.

The room erupted in conversation. Rieekan and Dodonna were attempting to talk over one another. Mon Mothma was trying to gain control, her holo making it impossible to do so. Luke began trying to calm down the room, sending out as much energy as he could. Han's face began contorting into one of anger, and he looked like he was about to blow up and kill everyone in the room.

Leia placed her hand to her temple again and gave a small wince. She stood up abruptly, the room starting to fall silent. Luke looked to her with confusion. He could sense her sudden panic.

 _Vader…_

"I have to step outside." She said quickly as she began running towards to the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.**

 **Chapter 3: A Sith or a Jedi?**

 **A/N: Fair warning, Han gets a little vulgar in this chapter.**

Leia stumbled outside, her knees hitting the sand. She pressed her hands to her head and closed her eyes, wrinkling them in a tight pained expression. She was trying to push out Vader. His voice was crashing through her walls, so deep and calm that it was quite unsettling to the princess.

 _Leia, my daughter._

 _We do not have to fight. I am not bloodthirsty to kill off what little troops your rebellion has left._

 _Surrender yourself to me, and your friends won't have to die._

"Get out of my head!" Leia cried out, tugging at her hair. She pulled on her braids and began crunching herself closer to the ground "Get out! Get out! Get o-"

 _I have no qualms in killing them, however. Daughter or not, your allies are a disruption to my plan and should be murdered where they stand. The only way that you can ensure their survival is to come to me. You know where my base is. Look deep within your mind, and you will know where to find me._

"You underestimate the rebellion's power!" Leia shouted in anger. She did not like the threats he was making. "I am not naïve enough to think you will have mercy! Your heart is black and cold. You don't value any form of humanity. If you wanted someone who would believe your false act of kindness, you came to the wrong child!"

 _While I may have known Luke was my son much longer, I have had the pleasure to deal with your insolence for years. You were a strong and willful child, but I know that you are broken. I was the one that broke you. I have felt your fear and anger boiling ever since the destruction of Alderaan. If it weren't for Emperor Palpatine's adamant craving for Luke, I would have made you my apprentice long ago. I saw potential, and now that I know you are my daughter, I know that this can be done._

"You will not speak of Alderaan." Her voice was low. "And I will never join you. I would rather die than be on your side."

Leia felt a hand land on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw Han crouching next to her. His face was filled with concern, eyes brimming with worry. She noticed Luke pacing a few yards away from them.

"Sweetheart?" Han asked, grabbing her hands from her hair and holding them in his own. "You're okay?" His thumb began rubbing her palms in a soothing manner.

She looked at him and slowly nodded.

"What did he say to you?" Han broached, glancing back at Luke, who walked a little closer to the pair.

"Nothing important." She brushed Han's hand away and pushed herself up from the ground.

"Leia…" He stood up with her.

"Honestly, he said nothing that should be of any concern. He was just trying to scare me."

Han let out a sigh and ran his hand over the scar on his chin. Leia didn't want to give Han any more reason to worry. She didn't want him thinking that Vader was severely messing with her mind.

She flicked her eyes over to Luke. He was frowning at her. "You don't have to spare us anything, Leia"

"I know." She smiled at them. "But, I promise it is nothing. I have been through worse with him."

Han grunted and turned to Luke. He jutted his finger in his face. "You need to find out what that piece of shit is saying to her."

"Hey, I am doing the best that I can!" Luke crossed his arms defensively. "This isn't a black and white thing, Han. There is a lot of grey area and right now I-"

"Give Luke some credit." Leia cut in. "This isn't easy on any of us."

"Yeah, yeah, but we don't Vader in our heads trying to screw with us." Han replied rather harshly. "I have little sympathy for the guy who spared the pshycopath's life because the Jedi, who conviently aren't talking to him now, told him it wasn't the 'right time'."

Luke let out a low breath and spoke slowly. "If you only understood how the Force works, you wouldn't be so-"

"Fuck the Force, Luke!" He shouted, flinging his hands in the air. "It hasn't done us any good! Hell, if it wasn't for the Force, we wouldn't be in this fucking mess in the first place!"

Leia stood quietly, waiting for Luke to reply. Her brother was always calm, even when he was experiencing a lot of stress. While she could see Han's side of the argument, she took pity on Luke. He was trying the best that he could. She could not imagine being in his shoes at the moment. Everyone expected him to know information that was impossible for him to know.

"Without the Force, you would still be frozen in Carbonite." Luke replied, his voice on edge. "You seem to only want to think about all the things wrong with the Force, and not the things that it has done to help you."

Han glared at him. "If the Force didn't exist, I never would have been in a situation like that in the first place. The Force will never be a good thing."

"So, what are you saying? Are you implying that Leia and I aren't good things?"

"Don't try and twist my words around, kid." Han shook his head, narrowing his eyes. "All I'm saying is as long as there are Jedi, there will be Sith."

Leia flinched at that statement.

 _If I die, you will become the next Sith, even if I don't train you. If you destroy me, you become me. If you join me, you become me. It is your destiny, Leia._

Vader's voice was clear, his words echoing in her mind.

"Yes! You're right!" Luke's tone grew bitter. "That's why it is called a balance!"

"Why call it a balance when there is more evil than good?"

"There isn't more evil than good! There is one Jedi and one Sith! It is balanced!"

"Well, what does that make me?" Leia's question caused both men to turn their attention to her. "If it is balanced, than what am I? If there is more evil than good, does that make me a Sith?"

Han and Luke both started speaking at once.

"No, you aren't a Sith."

"Sweetheart, you're not evil."

As they both continued to try and reverse what their argument had implied, Leia shrugged them off.

"Please, just stop fighting." It came out much more pathetic sounding than she meant for it to. "It's not helping anyone."

"Yeah, okay." Han said. Luke nodded in agreement.

"Thank you." She replied. "Now, let's go back inside and deal with the war issue at hand."

"Are you sure?" Luke ventured.

Leia gave a small smile and gestured for them to go ahead of her. The two of them looked at each other, knowing that her smile was fake, and then began walking back to the tent.

As she began to follow them, she felt Vader's voice re-enter her mind.

 _You know what you are, daughter. Do not try to fight it, because in your heart, you know what you are._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 4: I Told You So**

 **A/N: Time for Han…Enjoy!**

The dark blue waves crashed upon the shore, the white foam nestling itself around Han's feet. The sky was a swirl of oranges and pinks as the sun was setting on the horizon. He sat in silence, occasionally sipping from the fizzy yellow drink he had been given at dinner.

It had been three days since the meeting, and he still couldn't get the events to leave his mind. Leia was hearing things, this much he knew. She was whispering to herself at night when she thought he was asleep. She was whispering angry things, accusations filled with hatred. She was whispering pleads, begging like everyone's life depended on it. It was unsettling to know that she was having to speak with Vader.

Mon Mothma, Dodonna and Rieekan did not like it much more than he did, but his concern was more about his love for Leia as opposed to the trust, and now possibly the lack of, they have with her. He remembered, after they returned to discuss the war plans, how vividly the trio described how detrimental it would be for the rebels to lose Leia as if she wasn't in the room. She did not seem phased by this, however, and kept an unreadable expression.

By the end of the night, nothing important had been decided. Leia gave no input, Luke had no input to give, Rieekan and Dodonna could not agree, and Mon Mothma's connection was so weak she was hardly able to communicate. So, they went with what Han said. They had to hope that Darth Vader would grow impatient and attack.

Han brought the drink to his lips, closing his eyes as he swallowed a mouthful. It wasn't a great taste, but nothing really was on this planet. While it was a beautiful place, it really lacked decent cuisine. He was growing tired of standard military meals, but they proved better than the offerings of the locals who had soon evacuated after their arrival.

"Han," He heard his name spoken softly from behind him.

"What do you want, Luke?" He asked a little tiredly.

"Well, first, I came to apologize to you." The boy said earnestly. "I know that this has been hard on you and I haven't really been the best of help. You're scared for Leia and I get that. I am scared for her, too. I care about her. She means a lot to me and I don't want anything bad to happen to her."

Han considered him a moment, then shook his head. "That's nice, buddy. That's real nice."

"Don't tell me you don't think I care about her. She is my sister, you know?"

"You care about her, sure, sure. But, you don't care about her enough to kill Darth Vader when you had the chance. Listen, I know you believe in all that Force stuff, but it is a little hard not to blame you when this entire situation could have been avoided."

"You think I wanted to walk away? This is not what I wanted to happen either! I wanted to bring my father back! I didn't expect him to reject me completely and make it his mission to turn Leia to the Dark Side! "

"I never said you wanted it to happen. I am saying you made a choice to spare his life and it was the wrong damn choice."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "It wasn't exactly my choice, Han. The Force works in mysterious ways. It is supposed to happen this way, whether we like it or not. I am not going to defy the ways of the Force and try to change fate."

"Then you obviously don't know what love is." Han turned his face away from his and looked back at the water. The sun was almost completely gone, the sky fading to purple. "When you are in love, you would do unspeakable things to protect them."

Luke shuffled over and sat down next to him. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "That is exactly why Jedi cannot have a spouse. It makes them dangerous. When he threatened Leia…I almost lost it, Han, I really did. I don't know what came over me. I have never felt such anger, even when my aunt and uncle died. Leia is so special to me. But, something stopped me. I felt the Force and it was stronger than my anger. I've never really felt anything quite like it before."

"I would have killed him" Han said simply.

"I know."

There were a few moments of silence. Han picked up his fizzy drink and took a quick swig. "I'm sorry I've been an ass to you the past couple of weeks, but I can't help but be angry at someone, and you just happen to be the easiest person to pin the blame on."

"It's alright. Like I said, I know this isn't an ideal situation. In my heart, I know this is what is supposed to happen, but I can see how many might hold some hostility towards me. I could have ended this tyranny and instead let it continue. But, I had to let it continue."

Han nodded. He felt bad for the kid. He had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. But, he still couldn't forgive him. No matter what claim he had about the Force and fate or whatever.

"There is something else I need to tell you." Luke went on. "It was actually the reason why I was sent here in the first place."

"What is it?" Han brought his hand to his chin, rubbing at his scar absently.

"Darth Vader plans on attacking."

"Hah! I told you so! I knew he couldn't wait that long!"

"Yes, you were right." Luke offered a small smile but his eyes betrayed him.

"What else is there?" He asked. "When does he plan on attacking?"

Luke gazed up into the sky, looking at the now twinkling stars. He always loved the stars. They were the one thing that he thought was beautiful on Tatooine. It was hard to focus on them however, as he felt Han's gaze on him, his hard eyes creating an intense atmosphere.

"He plans on attacking tonight."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 5: The beginning**

 **A/N: Hey, I had a hard time finding the inspiration for this, and I have been focusing on my other Star Wars fic,** _ **The Return**_ **. So, I apologize completely. – I hope you like this chapter, and don't forget to leave me a review with your thoughts about what happened and what you think will happen next!**

Luke watched as Leia picked at her uniform. She was standing next to Han, and Luke found himself thinking about her small stature. She was like a porcelain doll, so tiny and fragile in his mind. Leia glanced over at her brother, her eyes lingering on the light saber that was held tightly in his hand. Luke followed her gaze and gave a small frown.

"I don't think I'm going to have to use it," He explained. "I just thought it would good to have. You know, just in case."

"Right." Leia gave him a half-hearted smile before she looked away. They all knew that Luke was going to have to use it. He wasn't good with a blaster, and thus would have to defend himself with his lightsaber. However, the implications of him having his lightsaber usually meant he would have to duel with Darth Vader, and the thought of Luke fighting him without the intention to kill gave Leia terrible feeling.

"Hey, your Worship." Han spoke softly to her, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Stop worrying so much. You're giving yourself wrinkles with your face scrunched up like that."

Leia glared at him but let out a small laugh. "If anyone is getting wrinkles from worry, it's definitely you."

"Scoundrels can't get wrinkles. It's bad for the image." He shook his head.

"And you think a Princess can?" She challenged. "Our image is much more impeccable."

Luke rolled his eyes with obvious fondness at the couples playful bickering. It brought him a feeling of normality. Well, what little feeling he could get as he stood amongst lines of soldiers waiting for battle. He wasn't overly thrilled about not being in the air. Luke was not big on combat fighting, unless of course it was with his lightsaber. No, he enjoyed shooting x-wings out of the sky and being able to communicate with others with ease. But, this planet's atmosphere was not compatible with everything that was needed. Vader wouldn't be able to use air force either. It was a disadvantage they would both be facing.

Luke continued to listen to Han and Leia, gazing out onto the ocean. The black water was calm. Very calm. In fact, the more Luke stared at it, the more strange it seemed. He didn't think he had ever recalled the ocean looking so peaceful before. Suddenly, he saw a ripple through the water.

"Hey! Did anyone see that?" He asked pointing over to the water.

A few soldier shouted out in agreement while the majority remained silent, staring at the water to try and see what the young Jedi was talking about. Han squinted his eyes, trying to see the dark water with only the light from the moon casting a gleam across it.

"What are you talking about, kid?"

The ground began to shake and the water rippled again. The troops scrambled backwards away from the ocean, watching in awe at the sight before them. An enormous grey platform broke out from the water. It slowly pushed itself from the depths of the sea floor and stopped when it towered into the sky. Luke felt his mouth fall open as a long metal flapped opened down and plopped onto the sand. Before anyone had any time to recover, Stormtroopers were piling out. They ran down with uniformity, their blasters already shooting vibrant red streaks across the night sky.

Luke flipped on his lightsaber and began deflecting the shots. He did what he could, firing them back at unsuspecting Stormtroopers. He felt his brow becoming wet with sweat, and began pushing his way forward through the troops. He could finally feel Vader's presence, and as he looked up at the top of the platform, he saw his black cape flapping in the wind.

Vader seemed to realize that Luke saw him, and turned his masked face over in his direction. He stared at Luke for a few moments, and Luke suddenly felt paralyzed with fear. He had made such a terrible mistake leaving his father alive. He knew that. He knew that with all of his heart and with every being of his soul. So, why? Why couldn't he have just killed him and ended it all?

 _You know why, Luke._

The distant voice of Obi-Wan cracked through his mind. Luke's eyes widened in shock at his master spoke to him. Luke then felt himself starting to laugh bitterly.

"You decide to talk to me now, Obi-Wan?" He cried out, screaming loud enough for those around to hear. "I've been reaching out to you for days and now is when you decide to respond? When the battle has already begun!"

 _You already know the answers. You don't need me to answer them for you._

"I don't know anything anymore!" Luke yelled, still deflecting the shots of red in his direction. He felt drops of rain start to fall from the sky. It was slow at first, but then before anyone could even process the thought of rain it began to down pour. Luke tried to look around for Leia and Han, but the rain was so heavy he could hardly see his hand in front of his face. "Obi-Wan!" He called out his name.

 _All the great Jedi must learn to answer questions on their own, Luke. Do you think I asked Yoda for help every time I was lost and thought I needed guidance?_

"This is different!" Luke argued. "Leia could be in danger!"

 _Why didn't you kill Anakin Skywalker?_

"Why didn't I kill Ana- That's what I've been asking _you_!" He was angry now and felt himself losing control as the shots came closer to hitting him. His eyes were blurry and everything was now either his green lightsaber or the red gleams of death. "Fine! I don't want your answers!"

Luke pushed away his mentor's voice and began to think about what was happening around him. He heard the sound of the blasters, and he heard the shouts of commands and war cries. He heard splashes in the water and began to wonder who would be running into the ocean that was no longer calm. The waves were thrashing against the cool metal platform.

"I need to find Leia." Luke muttered to himself. He looked up into the night sky, finding that the rain had slowed down enough that he could see again. He didn't want Leia to face Darth Vader alone. He had a feeling it would happen tonight. There had to be a reason Obi-Wan finally reached out to him. Maybe that was his master giving him a sign.

There was a familiar cry that then filled the air that Luke recognized immediately. _Chewbacca_. He looked over and saw Chewbacca was running over to the water. Why was Chewbacca heading closer to the ocean? What could possibly be over there? Luke started making his way closer to the Wookie when he realized that several troops were also making their way over to enter the ocean.

Luke took a deep breath and decided to follow them, hoping that he wasn't about to enter what could possibly be the worst battle of his life.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 6: Gone**

 **A/N: Special shout out to** _ **angry penguin**_ **who reminded me that I needed to get moving on this story! I have totally been slacking and I'm sure you guys hate me, but I really do like this story and plan on updating it more often. I feel like this chapter is a little short, but I still enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think!**

Luke dragged his feet through the water, his body shivering as the cold black water crept up his clothing. He felt it sopping into his military issued shoes and instantly regretted not advocating for water proof clothing like he had originally wanted to. It was more expensive and Mon Mothma had deemed it an unnecessary cost, but Luke had thought otherwise. Unfortunately, he let his argument fall flat as he was too busy trying to contact Yoda and Obi-Wan to try and convince the High Command for such a commodity as waterproof shoes.

He pushed his hair back, the water slicking it down to his skull. The salty water was above his hips as he neared Chewbacca and the other soldiers. Luke tried not to notice that the water had a tinge of red to it and that there were bodies floating around. He had been in many battles before, but something about their lifeless forms floating in the water was unsettling.

Luke approached his companions and tried to decipher what was going on. The Wookie was beating against the side the giant metal that towered over him. He cried out in frustration as he threw his weight into it. The soldiers were doing the same, their small bodies trying to make an impact. Luke couldn't understand why they were doing this.

"Chewie!" Luke called out, still pushing his way towards it. "Chewie!"

Chewbacca whipped around and looked at the young Jedi. He let out an angry noise and pointed at the metal. " _Look, cub!"_ Luke narrowed his eyes, but he still did not understand.

"Chewie? What are you doing?"

The Wookie howled. " _Look at the lining around the metal! It's a door!"_

Luke looked to where the soldiers were pushing and saw what he was talking about. It was a very small entrance. But, it was large enough that they could slid in. The only issue was that it was sealed shut.

"That's why everyone is pushing against the metal." Luke mumbled to himself. He was among the other soldiers who were uselessly trying to help. Luke stopped and looked all around. He was not sure what he could do. It was obvious that what they were doing was not working. If anything, the men were wasting their time. They should have been out fighting the Stormtroopers instead of trying to get inside of the base. Besides, what would they even accomplish once they were inside? Was there some sort of plan that he was not made aware of?

"Everyone!" Luke shouted. "Stop what you are doing!"

Most of the soldiers turned, a few continued to try to break through the sealed door.

"This isn't working! Go back to taking down the Stormtroopers. Your other fellow troops need you more in the battle than we do right here! Go, now!"

The troops stood still a moment, and then began running back out to fight. Luke watched as the cocked their guns. This made is clear that they were not ordered to do this by a general. They were just following someone's lead. He turned back to Chewie, noticing that a few other troops had stayed behind.

"You might need reinforcements." One of the men said. He was a tall man with a broad chest. He had jet black hair and eyes dark like coal. His skin was of an olive complexion. There was a pinkish mark running along the side of his face. It was obviously a fresh wound. "You never know what is on the other side of that door."

Luke stared at him a second and then nodded. He appreciated the man's insight, but did not think about it much more. Something about the man seemed off to him, but Luke shrugged it off. He had more important things to deal with than a peculiar soldier. He walked up to Chewie and looked up to his friend. He had a determined look on his face.

" _We can get in there, cub."_ His usually happy face seemed very tense.

"Even if we got in, what would it do?" He asked. "I can't fight Vader. I already explained that it isn't supposed to me."

Chewie let out a roar. " _Maybe you can't fight him. But I can_."

"Chewbacca…"

" _NO! Cub, you haven't seen how distraught Han is about this. I have a life debt to him! Leia is his mate. I must protect her too. I will rip Darth Vader limb from limb! I will step up and do what needs to be done. I can't stand aside and watch him tear our family into pieces."_

Luke blinked and shook his head. He had never seen the Wookie like this before. He had seen him lose his temper plenty of times, but there was something different about the anger that seeped from him. There was a pure rage, and Luke couldn't help but feel like the tiniest part of it was directed at him.

"I understand what you are feeling." He said calmly, raising his hands in a gesture of peace.

" _Do you?" He banged his fist into the metal. "If you understood the pain that was being inflicted on the others, you would help me open up this damn door!"_

Luke scowled at him. "What is wrong with everyone? Why do you all think that I too do not feel pain? Leia is my sister! Han is my best friend! I never wanted any of this! You all act like I wanted it to happen! Like I don't feel anything! Well, guess what? I'm in pain! I'm in pain, too!"

The Wookie looked at Luke and frowned, his eyes displaying a trace of pity. _"I know this is not easy for you, cub."_ He placed a hand on his shoulder. _"I know that Yoda and Obi-Wan have left you to figure this out on your own. None of this is easy for anyone. But, you have a choice. You can open up this door and help me take down Darth Vader."_

"Chewie, I want to help you, I really do. But-" Luke started to say when a voice cut him off.

"Luke!" Han shouted. "Chewie!" His voice was panicked and Luke felt his blood run cold. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

" _What happened, Han?"_ Chewbacca turned and began moving towards him.

"It's Leia!" He shouted, obviously out of breath. "She's _gone."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.**

 **Chapter 7: Be Strong**

 **A/N: I seriously owe you all a big apology for not updating sooner. I know that several of you have been wanting an update and I have taken months to actually do that, but I finally did it! I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think! Hopefully the next update won't take so long. I am thankful that you all have not given up on me and this story.**

As the rain fell from the sky, Leia felt as though time had frozen. She was able to feel the energies around her. She looked over at Luke, his green light saber glowing. Her eyes traveled up his small frame. Her brother seemed so fragile in that moment. His eyes were glossy, his hair tousled. His mind was utter chaos and Leia knew that in his current state, he was weak.

It was not something that she was comfortable admitting. She was strong, but she always felt as though Luke was stronger. He was able to overcome so much and remain so positive throughout everything. He still had parts of him that were still like the young farm boy who had rescued her all those years ago. But now, he was torn to nothing but a shadow of the man he once was.

She had to be strong for him.

She turned to Han. She looked up at him, gazing upon his unkempt face. He had grown a fair amount of stubble that had not been maintained. He looked determined, his eyes shining with a sense of hunger. He noticed her stare and looked down to her. His expression was stern and there were worry lines creased into his skin.

"I love you." He grabbed Leia's hand, wrapping his fingers over her. His knuckles were cold, the light hairs on them standing up. She looked up his arms and saw little goosebumps speckled over his arms.

"I know." She smiled at him, tightening her grip on his hand.

They had been declaring their love for each other several times a day lately. Han seemed to say it every chance he got. This time, it sounded more desperate than Leia wanted to admit. He was scared. Utterly terrified that something would go wrong.

"Stay close to me, Princess." He said seriously.

Normally, she would have argued with him. She would have told him that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. There would have been some banter and one of them might have ended up being angry with the other.

Instead, Leia nodded at him. She didn't want to argue with him. She didn't think either of them had it in them to fight each other and then fight in a battle. She knew she should stay close, but she also knew that it might not be an option.

She had to be strong for Han.

The shots from the blasters were in slow motion.

She watched as red blazes flew through the air. She stood, watching as they struck down her men. She saw the blood already seeping onto the sand and making its way into the water. Everything was happening so quickly, yet all she could do was watch as if it was all a dream.

Luke was flinging away the red with his green, Han firing back shots of his own with his blaster. The rain was heavy and all that could truly be seen were the bursts of red murdering people. Leia went to grab her own blaster when a voice broke through into her mind.

 _There is no need for us to fight. I will give you one last chance to surrender._

Darth Vader sounded as if he was standing right next to her.

 _You must know that you have no chance to win this. I have the high ground._

"There is always hope." Leia shook her head and firmly grabbed her blaster.

 _You are foolish to think that, child. There is no hope. You out of everyone should know that. Surrender yourself._

She started to take steps towards the water. Han was busy fighting to notice her slip away. He trusted that she would stay close and Leia knew that he would be angry with her for breaking the promise.

There were no more missiles in the area. Just open water. It was calm and there was something about that which was distressing. An area where death was like a plague, and yet the view before her was almost serene.

She thought she heard Han calling her name. Or maybe she just wanted to hear. He was still on the beach. Everyone was still on the beach. No one was in the water.

The dark ocean that would be up to everyone's knees was up to her hips. She wanted to speak alone to Vader. She wanted to be able to speak her mind without the others constantly trying to speak for her.

"You are wrong." She said softly. "You always have been."

 _I may have been wrong about Luke. But I know that you will be much easier to train. I have broken you in the past and I will break you again. In fact, I don't even need to break you. The darkness inside you is already so powerful._

"You have never broken me!" Leia shouted. "You have taken my parents from me! You have taken my entire planet from me! And now you are trying to destroy my brother and Han by turning me into a monster like you! I am not going to let this happen. You think that I am weak, but I am twice as strong as you! The dark side is for those who aren't strong enough to be a Jedi! I am going to-"

There was a sudden sharp pain in her arm. Her brown eyes flickered down and her hand instinctively went to hold it. She recoiled when she realized there was blood.

She had been shot.

Leia felt dizzy and looked up to see two Stormtroopers stranding a couple yards away. Leia looked around and saw that there were several troops now entering the water as the battle progressed. She tried to listen as the two Stormtroopers starting talking to one another. She felt her eyes starting to flutter when they began approaching her.

"That's the princess!" One of them exclaimed. "You idiot! You shot her. Lord Vader is going to kill you!"

"I didn't think it was her! Why would she be out here all alone?"

"What does it matter? We have to take her to him now!"

Leia felt two pairs of arms around her. They shoved her and she winced in pain.

"I surrender." She whispered low enough that the troops could not hear her, but enough that she knew Darth Vader heard her.

This was the only way.

Han and Luke would be able to live now. Leia would go with Vader and he could try with everything he had, but he would not break her. He would not turn her dark. This was the best plan. She knew this is what had to be done. Besides, at this point, it wasn't like she had much of a choice.

Now, she just needed to be strong for herself.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 8: Entrance**

 **A/N: I'm curious to know what you all think will happen! Do you think Leia will turn dark? How do you think the gang will try to get her back? Do you think this is all Luke's fault?**

One minute she was right next to him.

The next, she was _gone._

The rain had started to fall and it was like she had melted away. The wind had swept her up and he would never see her again. Han was frantic. His mind was reeling. Pulse throbbing. He could feel a tightness rising in his chest, clenching at his heart. He ran across the beach, screaming out her name. He could hardly fathom that he was still in a battle.

She promised that she would stay close to him. He promised he would protect her. It looked like they had both broken their promises.

He called out her name, stumbling through the sand. His feet fell heavy, stomping and dragging in the thick white terrain. He screamed out for her, desperately hoping to hear her call back to him. Hoping that he would catch a glimpse of her. He yelled for her again and again, drawing the attention of other soldiers. One approached him, still rapidly firing his blaster at the enemies.

"The Princess is missing?" He asked, his blonde hair was pulled into a top knot on his head. His face was spotted with freckles and his eyes were a light grey. He was pale and thin, his nose a little crooked. "Has she been captured?"

"No," Han said, finally shooting his own blaster again. "Not captured." He hit one of the troopers, sending it down crashing into the sand. Another one tripped over its body and the man next to Han shot him as he fell. "We just got separated."

He noticed that soldiers were moving into the water.

"Maybe she made her way down into the water with the other troops." He suggested, eyeing Han warily.

"Maybe." Han agreed.

Maybe Leia was in the water. Maybe she was still fighting and just happened to drift away from him. She lost him in the rain like he lost her. Maybe he was just overreacting. He was just paranoid and stressed. Everything would be okay. He decided he would go into the water to search for her. That was the only other place she could possibly be.

Han heard a familiar roar and felt himself grow hopeful. He saw Chewbacca down near the metal. He was throwing his weight into it. It seemed like he was trying to somehow break it down. Han squinted and saw a slim green light.

"Leia has to be with Luke and Chewbacca." Han said to himself. He steadied his blaster and began making his way down to his friends.

He kept his eyes searching for Leia. He glanced in every direction and felt his fear growing as he got closer to the metal. He heard Chewbacca and Luke arguing, but Leia wasn't there. He couldn't hear her. He couldn't see her.

"Luke!" Han shouted. "Chewie!"

Chewbacca turned at the sound of his friend's panicked voice. _"What happened, Han?"_

Luke's eyes were wide as he stared at him.

"It's Leia!" He yelled to them. "She's gone!"

The two of them froze. Luke looked completely stunned, but Chewie was quick to recover.

" _Gone? What do you mean? She can't just be gone, cub."_ Chewbacca shook his head.

"I can't find her anywhere!" Han explained. "She isn't on the sand and I don't see her in the water!"

" _I'm sure you just overlooked her, right Luke?"_ The Wookie urged Luke to give some comfort.

Luke looked like he was on the verge of breaking down. He shook his head, looking past the pair before him.

Chewbacca gave an irritated roar. _"Han, listen. Leia is tough. One of the toughest little humans I have seen. She is fine. She is probably kicking some Imperial ass!"_

"I have to keep searching. Come help me find her."

" _Help me get this metal open. We can find Leia after. We get in there, we kill Vader, and then this is all over. Cub, this is how it ends."_

Han glanced over the metal. "Chewie, there is no way we can break in there."

" _Yes, there is! We can get in there and we can stop this! Luke can break it down with his lightsaber!"_

There was a flicker in Han's eyes. "You're right. He could get us in and we could end this. We could end all of this." 

Luke stepped between the two and pointed towards the soldiers that were fighting yards away from them. "Something is wrong. Vader, the Stormtroopers, they are falling back."

"They're retreating?" Han asked, watching as the shots being fired decreased.

" _We are winning!"_ Chewbacca beamed out. His fur was dark and dripping wet. It looked heavy and uncomfortable. But, his eyes were even darker, filled with a victorious gleam.

Luke flicked his eyes down. "No." He swallowed nervously. "I can feel his happiness radiating. I don't think Vader has had the emotion enough to know how to conceal it."

Han felt his hands clench into fists. "Or he wanted you to know how happy he was. The sick bastard wants you to feel his triumph."

" _Why would he feel triumphant about retreating?"_ The moment Chewbacca asked the question, the atmosphere became catastrophic.

Han was quickly standing over Luke. "He has her." He said darkly. "He has her."

"Han, I didn't know this would happen!"

"I did! I knew this would happen! I told every single one of you that Leia shouldn't be here. But the precious little Jedi says one word and we have to do what he says no matter what everyone else thinks! You aren't a God yet every person acts like you are. I knew what was best and you overrode me!"

"Overrode you?" Luke was shouting back. "Every time someone asked me a question I expressed that I didn't know what was right! I didn't know what to do and I made that very clear, so don't start acting like I'm the one who is at fault here. You're just as much at fault for losing Leia as I am!"

Han shoved Luke. Causing him to stumble backwards. "I'm at fault? I already told you I would have killed him! I have killed men for less than protecting the people I love! You are a coward, Luke. You think that you are a hero but you are every bit as much of a villain for allowing such a monster to live."

"I'm not a villain! I have been using all my power to try and protect Leia! I love her! I loved her before you even thought twice about her! All you even wanted was the reward and to try and get in her pants. She is my family, not yours!"

Before Luke could get another word out, Han's fist collided with his face. Luke fell back into the water. His face stung and he could taste the blood in his mouth. He pushed himself back up, ready to defend himself.

Chewbacca stepped between the two of them and seethed out anger.He leaned down and snatched the lightsaber from Luke. He pushed the green into the metal and cut out around the seal. The metal fell forward, creating an entrance way. He handed the lightsaber back to Luke and began making his way inside.

" _You two can stay out here and fight. I'm going to rescue the Princess."_


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 9: A Temporary Answer**

 **A/N: Thank you for your wonderful reviews. They make me very happy to read. I am so glad that you are enjoying this story. Please, keep reviewing each chapter and let me know what you think! I love to know what you all are thinking!**

 _"You two can stay out here and fight. I'm going to rescue the Princess."_

Luke stood there for a second, completely dumbfounded. So many things were happening at once. Han had punched him hard in the face. His cheek was throbbing and he knew for certain that it was going to leave a bruise. Things had escalated immensely in such a short amount of time. Words were flowing from their mouths before either of them thought about the repercussions. Han had viciously attacked him both verbally and physically. Luke knew that their relationship was in a bad place and that it had the potential to get even worse.

Chewie took his lightsaber and cut a door into the metal. Luke still couldn't believe that had just happened before his eyes. His lightsaber seemed so small in the enormous hands of the Wookie. He cut through the metal effortlessly and had stepped up while Luke and Han fought each other instead of focusing on the real matters at hand. Chewbacca's instincts and courage might have earned them just enough time to save Leia.

 _Leia._

She had been taken by Darth Vader. This was exactly what he was afraid of. This is what he tried to ask Yoda and Obi-Wan and they ignored him. Did they know she would be taken? Or did they expect him to keep her safe? Had he failed them? Had he failed everyone?

"Luke!" Han yelled at him. He was already running into the building. "Come on, let's go!"

They entered and water was pooling up all around them. There was a large spiral staircase that Chewbacca was already running up. Han and Luke joined him, taking as many steps as they could at a time. Every other flight, there was a giant door that opened to a different type of room.

"How do we know which room they are in?" Han asked, looking between the two of them as they started moving higher up.

"He is on the top floor." Luke answered him, still stepping. "I saw him on the roof. He must have a small ship on the top floor that would allow him to escape at the highest level."

 _"Then we must go to the highest floor! We are almost there!"_

The three of them moved fast, Chewbacca reaching the final door first. He waited only a few seconds for the other two men to catch up. The door was solid black with a single white stripe down the center. There was no window. No knob. No anything.

" _How are we supposed to get in?" Chewbacca asked, eyeing Luke's lightsaber again._

"No." Luke said immediately. "That won't work. This door is only opening if Vader wants it to open."

Han narrowed his eyes. He bawled up his fists and began to slam them into the door. "Vader! I know you're in there! Face us like a man!" He continued to beat on the door, the skin on his knuckles started to rip away.

"Han, stop." Luke warned. "This isn't doing anything to help."

"Yeah? Like just standing there is helping?" He sneered at the young Jedi.

Luke started to protest when the hinges of the door cut him off. The door slowly creaked open, revealing a grey room. There was a round black chair in the center of the room atop of a small staircase. Darth Vader sat in this chair, his breathing loud. To his left, sat Leia. A medical staff of three were crowding her. Two dead Stormtroopers were at the bottom of the stairs.

"Leia!" Han yelled out. He ran forward.

One of the medical personal stepped back and revealed her. Her skin was pale and plastered with sweat. Her hair was no longer tied back. It loosely hung around her face, strands going this way and that way. There was blood all over the top half of her uniform. Her eyes slowly raised and she looked at Han.

"What the hell did you do to her?!" Han illuminated anger. His face was red and you could almost hear the grinding of his teeth.

Vader gestured to the Stormtroopers below. "Infidel soldiers who weren't able to follow simple orders. The matter was taken care of. The Princess will be fine."

"Your men shot her!" His eyes were glued to all the blood on Leia.

 _"Yeah, she will be fine once we get her out of here!"_ Chewbacca roared. He hated to see the little Princess in any sort of pain. She looked so fragile to him.

"You have taken her by force." Luke spoke, trying to ignore her injury. "If you weren't able to break her before, what makes you think you can break her now?"

"You need to leave." Leia cut in weakly. "All of you."

The three of them were stunned.

"Leave?!" Han cried out. "We aren't leaving you!"

Darth Vader let out a low chuckle. "I did not take Princess Leia by force." He sounded pleased. "She surrendered to me."

 _"What?!"_ Chewbacca growled.

"Sweetheart, you surrendered?!"

Luke looked at his sister. He saw the tiredness gleaming in her eyes. She was putting up a fight but he could tell that her blaster shot was draining her. "Leia, I don't know what you are doing, but you don't have to do this alone. I am here for you and I can help you."

There were tears forming in her eyes. "I am doing this to protect you guys. This is the only way, Luke? Don't you see?"

I stared at her. I watched the medical staff work on her wound. I looked at Vader, his gaze lingering on me. The answer was somewhere deep within me. I could find it. But I could see no answer right now. Leia was right. This battle had to go down this way. Everyone would have died. So many innocents would have died, and for what? To fight another battle for the same reason? How many would have to die for Vader to have Leia?

"We have to leave." Luke agreed.

"What the hell?!" Han shook his head. "I'm not leaving. What part of that do you not understand?"

 _"Why would we leave?"_ Chewbacca looked at Luke with a mixture of frustration and confusion.

Leia turned to Darth Vader. "Have some Stormtroopers remove them. I want them out of our sight."

"As you wish." He replied. He moved his hand and pressed a button green button that was on the armrest of his chair. Several Stormtroopers came in. They grabbed the three of them by their arms and began dragging them out.

"Leia!" Han screamed out. "No!"

Chewbacca let out a cry, thrashing against the group of Stormtroopers that held him.

"You must be strong, Leia." Luke spoke softly. "This is the answer for now."

Leia nodded her head slightly and kept her eyes locked to the floor.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 10: The Start of a New Reign**

 **A/N: Thank you for your reviews! A special thanks to** _ **angry penguin**_ **for always leaving such kind words on every chapter.**

Leia listened to their pleas as she cast her eyes to the floor. She tried to focus that, trailing across each individual parcel that made up the ground. She was desperately attempting to avoid the screams of protest from her lover and the searing pain of utter loss from her brother. The emotions were so intense that she could feel the room beginning to spin. Leia knew that there was no other option. She was already in Vader's hands, trying to fight back in that moment could have resulted in the deaths of those she loved most.

Once her family was escorted from the room, the medical team advanced on her once more. They poked and probed, adding odd smelling liquid solutions that burned and sizzled, causing her to suck in a quick breath of air. One of them spoke to her in a language she did not recognize, clearly not knowing Basic. Her words sounded soft though, so Leia gave a small smile to show that she was okay. The medical woman said something to the man next to her, which resulted in him handing her a long tube of a light purple cream. She scooped a generous amount on her hand and applied it to Leia's wound. Leia let out an instinctive sigh of relief as her pain was suddenly numbed.

"Thank you." Leia smiled, hoping that the woman would understand.

She showed no emotion to what Leia said, but the man said something to her and she nodded at him. The team then stepped away, looking to Vader for approval. He dismissed them, emptying the room so that the two of them were alone.

"How do you feel," He hesitated. "Daughter?"

Leia remained a cool composure, but she could feel her uneasiness rising. She did not have a plan for how to handle this. She always had some sort of plan. She was resourceful and tactful. She knew that failure was an option going into this battle, yet part of her had this foolish idyllic hope that they might somehow pull it off and she wouldn't be in this situation. Leia new this would happen, she was pessimistic by nature, but everything had been working in her favor recently. She felt as though the world owed her some victories. After losing her family and learning that her biological father was the cause for her own mental destruction, she figured that the universe would most likely be on her side. Sadly, life doesn't work that way.

"Your soldiers are very well trained, Lord Vader." She quipped, cutting her eyes at their lifeless bodies. "And you seemed to have handled the situation _mercifully_ , as always." She felt sick that this was their fate. They had no warning, no second chances. They made one mistake and they were murdered on the spot. It was cold and Leia would never understand Darth Vader's treatment of his men. Leia viewed her men as her people, while he just viewed them as another soldier that could be replaced.

"Their deaths mean nothing." He replied steadily.

Leia shook her head. "How can they mean nothing? That is a heartless thing to say. But why should I expect anything less from you."

"You learn the names of your men. You make a connection with them. You learn about their lives, their families. You make things personal whether you realize it or not. To me, they are just numbers. I never see their faces. I never know anything about them other than they pledged themselves to serve me." He explained to her as if that somehow excused all his sins.

"And you're okay with that?" Leia asked genuinely. It dawned on her that this was the first conversation that they had ever had that didn't include him threatening to torture her or murder her people. It wasn't exactly civil, but it was the closest thing to it she could manage.

"It is the only way." He nodded, his hand coming to rest on his knee. "You will learn. You are an emotional person and have a cold exterior. You hide your feelings from the world but inside you are a surging storm. A true politician. It makes me wonder how I never saw _her_ in you."

Leia froze. She wasn't comfortable with where this conversation was heading. She was thrown off with what was happening. She expected Vader to treat her like a prisoner. Instead, he was treating her like she wasn't scum. He was talking to her as if he knew her. As if he respected her. He just mentioned her birth mother in the most casual way. She felt completely thrown off, but she saw this as an opportunity. She had questions about her birth mother. She and Luke never had the chance to talk about it, and it appeared now was her time to learn information.

"Did you love her?" She found the words escaping her mouth. She wasn't sure why that was her first question. She supposed the thought of him having any feelings was absurd, but something deep within her felt strange about it. She watched as Vader tensed, his hand balling into a fist. She didn't think he would answer her. She waited for him to lash out. She waited for him to have her escorted away. She waited for these terrible scenarios running through her head to happen, only to be met with his calm words.

"It was long ago." There was a tinge of sadness to what he said. "We were both young and believed that love was the answer to all of our problems. I became involved in many things that conflicted with her and suddenly her love wasn't enough to keep me grounded. Our love was a corruption that was doomed from the start. Love and the Force cannot coexist."

Leia thought of Han. She thought of her feelings for him. The way they ripped through her body and charged her soul. After everything they had been through, she felt confident that nothing would ever tear them a part. They were meant for each other. She never believed in love, but after she met him, everything felt possible. She felt something almost akin to pity for Vader. He would never know love again. He was a monster and she couldn't imagine how lonely that life must be.

"Who was she?" She asked. "How did she know my father? Did she not want us?"

Vader shook his head. "This conversation is over. We have many other things to discuss."

She wanted to argue, but she knew that it was a blessing that she got this much from him given the circumstances. She relented, giving him a small nod.

"We are going to rule the galaxy together. It is your destiny." Vader stood up, walking over towards her. "I thought it was Luke, but when I found out that you were also my child, everything became clear."

"No." Leia denied. "I am not going to join you. You know that you can't break me. I am not dark and I never will be."

"Yes, you weren't dark because you had hope. Tell me Princess, what hope do you have now?" He challenged. "You have seen the horrors of this world. Yes, you may be like your mother, but you got your realism from me. You aren't idealistic to a fault like your brother. He isn't strong enough to carry out the plans I have, but you are."

Leia stared at him, desperately searching for a reply in the back of her mind. She tried to say something, but she remained silent.

Darth Vader let out a low laugh, placing his hand on her shoulder. "This is the start of a new reign, Princess. Your training will start soon."


	12. Losing Faith

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 11: Losing Faith**

 **A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter. Do you agree with Luke or Chewie? What are your thoughts on Han?**

Luke sloshed his way to the shore, trailing significantly behind Han. The Stormtroopers that held him were still standing behind them, but he refused to glance back. Han was still being dragged by his troopers, fighting will all his strength to get back to Leia. Chewie walked next to Luke, his worried gaze flickering between the two of them. The battle had officially ended. No troops except the corpses were outside. Luke's face was starting to throb painfully from Han's attack earlier. As he brought his hand up to cradle it, he winced.

 _"A bruise is already forming, cub."_ Chewbacca frowned. He let out a small sigh, watching his human curse at the troopers. He looked down at Luke, his eyes shining. " _What are we going to do?"_

"I don't know." Luke answered honestly. "All I know is this is what Leia wanted. I have to trust that she has some sort of plan."

 _"And what if she has given up? She has seemed off since learning about Vader being her father. You took it much better and are at peace with it. But, the Princess? She has so much hatred in her heart for what happened to her people. You cannot begin to understand what it is like to have your people be massacred. You have lost friends and family, but the devastation of losing an entire planet? I am afraid that Vader will use that hatred to his advantage and turn her."_

"I know that the physiological damage is probably way more severe than she lets on." Luke replied, understanding where his friend was coming from. "I can feel her energy. I know when she is hurting, and I know that she is hurting a lot lately, but we all are. Things have been tensed and stressful."

" _The pressure from this battle has been intense on all of us."_ Chewie agreed. " _But it is more than that. You know it, just like I know it."_

. "You think Leia will turn then?"

 _"Between you and me."_ The Wookie spoke quietly as if people were around to hear. _"The Princess is strong. Very strong. She is a good person with a big heart, but she is broken. If we don't get her out of there, it will be a lost cause."_

Luke scowled at him. "You don't know Leia like I do. We have this unspoken connection. She wanted to be left there. She is a hero and has proved that time and time again. You out of all people should know that. Leia has one of the best moral codes I have ever seen. She has a plan, Chewie. She isn't going to turn." 

_"I hope you're right, cub."_

The two of them reached the shore and approached the two troopers still holding onto Han. They had him down on his knees, hands pulled behind his back. He had his eyes traced on the ground, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. He was silent.

"We can take it from here." Luke said, a warning tone present in his voice.

The Stormtroopers nodded and walked away. One gave Han a final shove before he left, the two of them laughing as they returned to the ocean.

Luke had no idea what to say to Han. He wanted to apologize because for some reason he felt like he supposed to say he was sorry, but he knew that it would just be an empty apology to Han's ears. Chewbacca noticed Luke's hesitation and decided that he would be the one to speak. He needed to be the middle man because it was obvious that the two men weren't going to be able to have a civil conversation. Chewbacca was pondering on where to begin when General Rieekan and General Dodonna came running through the sand.

"The Princess. Is she alive?!" General Rieekan asked worriedly, sounding like a concerned father.

"We heard that she surrendered!" General Dodonna roared. "She could have told us she was going to do that, and we could have saved so much money! Not to mention the countless numbers of lives that were lost to fight in this battle!"

Han remained looking down, no words escaping his mouth.

"She was shot." Luke looked at Rieekan. "We made it to see her and a medical team was treating her. She is alive."

"Thank the Gods." The General breathed out, looking relieved. He glanced over at Han, his eyes lingering on him. He could see the pain etched onto the man's face. "She did surrender, then?"

"Technically, she did." Luke granted, searching for comprehension in Rieekan's eyes. "She didn't want anymore bloodshed. She knew that this was the best way. She has a plan and she isn't going to let Vader win."

General Dodonna looked skeptical. "She told you all this in front of Vader?"

"No." Han looked up. "No, she didn't tell _us_ anything."

Chewie let out a small warble, looking at him with pity. The Wookie was still clearly at a loss for what to say.

"We will need to alert Mon Mothma of this immediately." General Dodonna exclaimed darkly.

"Yes." General Rieekan confirmed apprehensively. "A new course of action must be taken. We planned for many things, but not for her to surrender."

"She didn't surrender!" Luke tried to argue, not liking where things were going. "That needs to be made clear! She did this for the good of everyone! She wasn't being a was being a hero!"

"She did surrender." Han confessed pathetically. "She didn't want us to rescue her. She wanted to be left alone with him."

"DO you think she wants to be a Sith?!" Dodonna gasped, his mouth ajar.

"NO!" Luke screamed, his eyes piercing. "Leia didn't want any of this to happen. She just-"

"Luke, just shut up, will you?" Han said tiredly. "We are done listening to you."

Luke tried his best to remain calm, his swollen eye throbbing as a reminder of what happened last time. "Really? Han, you can't actually think that Leia wants to become a Sith Lord?" He couldn't believe the absurdity. He thought that Leia's loyalty would have been obvious to the men before him

Han cast his eyes out to the water, his eyes reflecting how lost he really felt. He pushed himself up from the ground, wiping the sand from his knees. He looked to Luke, staring him straight in the face. "I don't know anymore."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 12: Wait**

 **A/N: Shout out to Sigmr101 for predicting Leia's new nickname.**

It didn't take long after they told Mon Mothma about the Princess for the news to spread across the galaxy. Reporters on different planets told their different opinions on what they thought about the fate of not only Leia but the entire galaxy. The council sat around the table, watching what was considered on of the most reputable news stations around. Leia often discredited it, claiming that 'The Rebellion only considers it a reliable source because they report everything we want them to.' Still, Luke felt like they had a lot of accurate information about other unrelated topics, so when General Rieekan suggested they watch it to see what information the public was being fed, he agreed easily enough. His only hesitation was how Han might take the news from the opposing side. There was always one person who supported the alternative side so there could be discussion.

Mon Mothma did not take the news of Leia surrendering very well. But, to be fair, she had four men screaming at her their different opinions on the matter. Luke tried to remain calm but Han and General Dodonna were out of control in very diverse ways and General Rieekan was having a hard time trying to be rational when his own emotions were clouding his judgement. It honestly shouldn't have been much of a surprise when Mon Mothma disconnected her signal with them after ordering them to come back to base. Yet, the four of them sat there completely dumbfounded on why she would hang up. This then proceeded to Han storming out, Dodonna soon following while Rieekan just gave Luke a sad smile.

Despite it being a little over a week, Han's anger towards Luke had not faltered. If anything, it felt stronger. With all of them sitting around the table to watch the news, Luke felt uncomfortable with the ugly stare Han was giving him. Luckily, the intro theme to the news began and his eyes slowly went to the screen.

" _As you may have heard, Princess Leia of Alderaan, also known as a faithful member to the Rebellion, has been taken under the wing of Darth Vader."_ Nika, the newswoman spoke. She had blue skin and wore a white dress. He hair was also blue, a slight shade darker than her skin, and was in a tight bun. " _It has been debated among many on whether or not the Princess was kidnapped or willingly went with Imperial forces. However, our sources confirm that the former Princess of Alderaan surrendered to Stormtroopers before being shot. The wound was not fatal."_

A man next to her who looked extremely similar, except he wore a black suit and had an overly cocky smile, began speaking. " _I think it is just simply dishonorable to surrender. She should have fought to the end."_

 _"Well, come one Chet, she is an Alderaanian."_ Mos chuckled. " _They were peaceful people who didn't believe in war."_

 _"The Princess was different."_ Chet argued. " _She was raised to fight. She isn't even really from Alderaan."_

Rieekan tensed up, anger etching onto his features. "She is as much Alderaanian as I am."

" _Speculation of her loyalty has been raised. Will she remain a part of the Rebellion? Mon Mothma herself confirmed that the surrender was not the planned."_ Nika attempted to report the information without imputing her personal opinion.

"Why would you tell them it wasn't planned?" Luke asked skeptically.

Mon Mothma sighed. "The truth would have gotten out eventually."

" _Yes, but Darth Vader is her father. Princess Leia was always faithful to her adopted father, Bail Organa."_ Chet pointed out seriously. " _I think that alone raises question on where her true loyalties are."_

 _"It's not about loyalty."_ Mos shook his head. " _This is about something much greater. Things that we cannot even fathom. The Princess is untrained with the Force so she is vulnerable."_

 _"You are either good or bad."_ Chet disagreed. " _No one can force you to be something you aren't. Princess Leia has committed crimes, but we excuse them because we believe she is fighting for the right side. That is no different than overlooking Vader's crimes because some believe he is fighting for the right side."_

 _"Are you saying that you think the Princess will follow in her true father's footsteps?"_ Nika asked, clearly shocked.

 _"I believe that Princess Leia will become Lady Vader."_ Chet said seriously, looking into the camera for dramatic effect.

Before the news could continue, Mon Mothma turned it off. "Even the most reliable stations are being succumbed to complete banter that has no fact. The news has become nothing but speculation and opinion."

"What are we going to do?" General Rieekan asked, looking around the table.

"We need to wait and see what Vader's plans are before we do anything." Luke felt like that was the best course of action. He saw no reason heading into a battle blind. They weren't even sure where Vader and Leia were at this exact moment.

"Look where waiting got us last time." Han argued, shaking his head. "The longer we wait, the bigger of mess this becomes."

"Technically we won the battle." General Dodonna pointed out. "We just lost the Princess in the process."

"I wouldn't call that a win." General Rieekan sighed. "That battle could have gone either way if we saw it to the end. They only retreated because they got Leia."

Mon Mothma cleared her throat. "As much as I dislike the thought of waiting, I think that is our only choice. We will wait and then we will plan our attack from there. Until then, we will continue to try and track them and have our some of our tech personal try to intercept as much information as possible."

"I agree." Luke said, looking to the others. General Rieekan and General Dodonna nodded and Han gave half of a shrug.

Mon Mothma dismissed them and informed them she would contact them if she heard any more news. Luke attempted to try and talk to Han, but he turned away and kept walking. Luke called out his name, but Han was clearly ignoring him. He frowned and shook his head, wondering why Han wouldn't at least speak to him.

"He will come to his senses eventually." General Rieekan gave Luke a pat on the shoulder.

"Really? Cause I don't see that happening." He sighed. "He hasn't spoken to me since he gave me this wonderful black eye."

"He's hurt and not thinking straight. He is going to realize that he needs you to get her back. The more he pushes away, the harder it will be for us to come together and win."

"I know that. That's why I'm trying to talk to him" Luke shook his head. "I just don't know why he has to be like this."

"Give it time. Leave him alone. If you give him what he wants, he will begin to understand that isn't what he needs." General Rieekan smiled. "Have a good day, Luke."

"Yeah, thanks." Luke waved. Maybe he should give Rieekan's advice a try. It was the most advice he had received recently and to be honest, it didn't sound all that bad. Besides, he wanted to wait for Vader to make the move, so why he shouldn't he wait for Han to make the move? Luke let out another sigh, deciding that he would make no more attempts to speak to Han.


	14. Empathy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars (A reference from this chapter is from the Marvel Comic,** _ **Princess Leia,**_ **which I also do NOT own)**

 **Chapter13: Empathy**

 **A/N: Your reviews made me want to write more (:**

Leia sat on the stairs as she watched Vader pace around the room. Even in a casual setting, he walked with purpose. He seemed confident and there was something about it that unsettled Leia. He was a machine and she truly wondered if he had any humanity left inside. _Oh, there I go sounding like Luke. I should know better than to wonder if he has any shred of morality._ Leia shook her head at the absurdity of her own thoughts and then noticed that Vader was staring at her intently. She gave him a cold look, refusing to reveal anything. He remained looking at her, so Leia narrowed her eyes, not daring to back down.

"You are decent at concealing your thoughts and feelings." Vader admitted. "Much better than Luke. However, I do not think that your brother wants to hide anything."

"They don't call me the Ice Princess for my bubbly personality." She quipped, a smirk tugging at her lips. Although she despised him, his compliment meant a lot to her. She spent many years being groomed in the art of politics and one of the first lesson was to remain calm as the leader. She may have seemed heartless to many, but it was the part she had to play.

"Ah, yes." He returned to pacing, no longer staring at her with intensity. "Luke has a gentle heart. You, on the other hand, know how dirty politics can be. Do you remember when we first met? You became a senator."

Leia thought back to what felt like a lifetime ago. She remembered every detail of that day. The outfit she wore, the way her was braided. She remembered her mother kissing her cheek and her father's proud smile. She had just turned eighteen and was going to see Palpatine. The room was enormous, and she met so many people. She remembered almost all their faces with detail, having seen them multiple times after since her first day as a senator.

"Yes, I do." She said strangely, her eyes widening. "You weren't there…yet I remember you being there."

Vader nodded. "You're right. I was not there. But somehow, I also remember that day. I don't have details, but I could feel all of your emotions"

"How is that possible?" Leia furrowed her brow.

"Have you ever been somewhere, and you suddenly just felt something? Out of the blue you had some sort of vision?"

She felt her breathing grow louder and her eyes widen at his question. She tried to think of a time when something strange happened, and it didn't take her long. Weird things happened her entire life, but there was something she still couldn't shake. Something that she often thought about. She flicked her eyes down and slowly shook her head. "There was one time. I was on Naboo leading a rebel mission. We were walking and there was this giant statue of Queen Amidala. It was such a beautiful statue. Lots of reds and golds. She was regal. I was looking at her when suddenly Queen Amidala turned and looked at me. The statue turned and _looked at me._ And her eyes…She looked at me with eyes that were filled with such sadness."

Vader was still. "No one else saw this?"

"I probably just made it up in my head. I had a lot of things on my mind. There was this foul man who was terrorizing the galaxy and making my life very complicated."

"Interesting." He said slowly, ignoring her comment. For someone who was quick to anger in the past, he was not letting any of her insults provoke him. "This is more than I expected."

Leia gave him a confused look.

"You have a rare gift in the Force. You have such a strong sense of empathy that you get visions. You feel things. You can absorb the emotions of those around you. Somehow, you managed to send me your emotions the day you became a senator."

"Why would I have a vision of Queen Amidala?" Leia didn't understand. "I thought visions were supposed to mean something."

"Not always." He dismissed her question as if it weren't important. "It is interesting that you sent them to me and not to Obi-Wan."

"I didn't know Obi-Wan." She wasn't sure she liked what Vader was suggesting.

"You didn't know me. We didn't meet until you were nineteen and trying to contact Obi-Wan. We are tied together, Leia. The Force has been pulling us together for longer than I realized."

Leia felt herself growing angry at his statement. "You think the Force is pulling us together? You murdered my family! You let that _vile_ man destroy an entire planet with so many innocent lives! You just stood there while my entire world was blown to pieces! Did you feel my Force energy then? Did you feel how every breathe was like someone was plunging a knife into my chest? It was if I could hear millions of voices cry out in terror and then they were just silenced! Did you not feel my pain as you tortured me for information? Did you not feel my devastation as I screamed every night for my dead parents to come and find me?"

Vader stood a moment, letting the impact of her words sink in. The air was thick and the silence that followed was starting to stretch too long for comfort. "I felt nothing." He watched at the tears that prickled her eyes. She looked angry and completely upset, obviously ready to scream and argue with him for as long as he dared to try. "Despite your physical distress, you hid everything. I saw nothing in your mind. I imagined the pain, could even empathize with the lose of a parent. But, feel? No. I felt nothing."

"The Force might be pulling us together, but not for the reasons you think." She spat, getting up from the stairs and storming away.

Vader watched her leave and let out a low chuckle. "This might be easier than I thought."


	15. Tainted

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 14: Tainted**

 **A/N: I hope you like this chapter. Let me know what you think! I plan on trying to update a bunch over the next week as I have a lot of spare time.**

Her eyes fluttered open. At first, she was disoriented, the dark grey walls around her were blurry until her vision slowly came into focus. Her head was pounding, and she winced as she pushed herself off the bed. She has no idea where she was. All she could remember was storming away from Darth Vader, only to be followed and escorted by Stormtroopers to her room. After that, nothing added up. She had absolutely no idea where she was. She assumed they were still on the ship, idly meandering around in space so that no one could find their location.

Leia surveyed her room and bitterly thought of her cell she was in just a few years ago. _This is an improvement from before. There are clean sheets and the room doesn't smell of sweat, blood, and death. I suppose he is trying to be nice in his own way._ She ran her hand over the bedding. It was a light yellow with little white swirls here and there. It seemed extremely feminine for Darth Vader's taste, but personally she liked it. She found it simplistic, yet something made her feel calm. _But you shouldn't feel calm. Not here. Don't let your guard down._ She shook her head, walking directly to the door. She briefly wondered if she was going to be trapped inside. It would be typical of Vader to treat her like a prisoner even after seeming civil and decorating her room to make it seem like less of a cell. Still, she pulled on the door and was awestruck to find that it opened with ease.

She stepped outside and saw that three Stormtroopers stood outside her door. They appeared to be guarding her. She was immediately thrown off by their appearance. They stood awkwardly, lacking the usual trained stances. They seemed alarmed that she was out of her room.

"Alert Lord Vader that she is awake." One of them ordered firmly, not meeting her gaze. He was much shorter than the others. In fact, he seemed to only be a little bit taller than her. She watched him, wondering how he was even able to be a Stormtrooper since the height requirements were so strict.

"I'm not doing it!" One of them replied with sass. He was watching Leia carefully, gravitating towards her in a protective way. "This was your brilliant plan, so you do it!"

"Why do you two always have to make everything so difficult? We were assigned a plan, so we do the plan." The third one shook his head, clearly exasperated. Something about him exuded a sagacious nature that seemed familiar to her.

"I'm not the one who is trying to go rogue." The sassy one quipped, clearly unhappy with what he was being ordered to do.

"I have to protect Leia." The shorter one replied. "Besides Han, you are the only one who wouldn't raise suspicion. I'm too short and he would recognize me quicker than he would you I have a better chance at protecting her anyway."

Before Han could react, Leia ran towards him. She flung her arms around him, embracing him tightly. "Han." She breathed out. She couldn't believe she didn't recognize them. She felt his arms wrap around her and she closed her eyes for a moment before realizing they were out in the open. Vader would find them soon if they weren't quick.

"We need to get out of here. We can all say hello later, Princess Leia." The third trooper replied.

"Carlist?!" Leia couldn't believe it. "How did you three find me?" She looked to Luke, completely overwhelmed with all of them here. "I told you not to rescue me! This isn't worth risking your lives over. It is my battle to fight."

"The Jedi Masters finally replied. They told me what to do." Luke still didn't make eye contact with her. He remained looking ahead, barely even acknowledging her. She thought it was strange, but she figured that he might be upset and didn't want to lose his emotions now. He probably felt a lot of guilt for the way things went down. Plus, she was sure the arguments with Han had taken a toll. "I will explain it all to you later. We must go this way." Luke pointed to an open corridor. Leia followed behind him, Han and Carlist trailing not too far behind her.

Leia found herself confused, wondering how they were able to find her. She also wondered how no alarms had been set off. Vader had no idea what was going on and she was baffled by that idea. She decided not to question their good luck and instead try to focus on escaping. She had to admit while she was happy to see them, she wasn't sure why they came. She ordered them away for a specific reason. If she left now, Vader would still be an issue. Before she could ask anything, Luke came to a stop and felt her confusion grow as they reached a dead end. Both Han and Carlist seemed equally as confused as her.

"I thought you said this would be a direct way out?" General Rieekan asked, glancing around suspiciously. "There is no exit here, unless I am missing something obvious?"

"You aren't missing anything." Luke said lowly. He still did not face them as he removed his helmet.

"What are you doing, kid?" Han furrowed his brow.

"Leia, I'm so sorry." Luke's hand went down to his side.

"What?" Leia watched as his green lightsaber clicked on. She stepped backwards while Han stepped in front of her.

"I have been asking what the answer to all of this is. I have been wondering how I can solve this and the answer has become clear to me." He finally turned around, his eyes gleaming with an emotion foreign to him.

"What the hell is he on about?" Han pulled up his blaster, aiming it directly at Luke's face.

General Rieekan slowly removed his helmet as well. His face looked gentle, but worn from everything that had happened. His age was truly beginning to show, and Leia was quickly flooded with thousands of memories from her childhood when she looked up to him. Rieekan spoke slowly, trying to gain control of the situation. "Luke, you need to calm down."

Luke looked at him and inhaled deeply. "I am calm. I am at peace with what needs to be done. There must be balance in the Force and Leia disrupts this balance. No matter which side she is on, she creates an issue."

He raised his lightsaber and advanced on General Rieekan. Before Han or Leia could react, Luke struck the older man down with one swift movement. He fell to his knees, blood gushing from his mouth.

"Carlist!" Leia cried out, her hand covering her mouth. Her own legs felt weak as she watched the scene before her. Han didn't hesitate before he began firing his blaster at Luke. The Jedi quickly deflected Han's shots, redirecting them all around them. Before long, Luke was upon them, he knocked Han's blaster out of his hand. "Luke, please don't do this!" Leia screamed. "Don't kill Han! Just kill me!"

Her brother looked at her for the first time since they arrived. He brought his lightsaber up in front of Han and kept his gaze on Leia as he plunged it into his chest. Leia felt herself let out an unintelligible sob as Han toppled over, his lifeless body hitting the floor.

Leia closed her eyes, sobs wracking her small body violently. Carlist was dead. A man who had looked after her since her father had passed and even long before that. Han was also dead. Her other half, the person who kept her going, was murdered. They were both struck down by the person she believed in more than anyone.

She knew that she was about to die. She knew that this was the end. And yet, she didn't feel afraid. Everyone she loved was dead, so what was the point in living? She could barely fathom what happened before her, the mere thought was indescribable. Yet, she knew she couldn't let Luke kill her without going down with pride.

Leia forced herself to open her eyes.

Luke was not there.

Neither were Han and Carlist's lifeless bodies. Instead, she was back in her cell, completely and utterly alone. She jumped up from the bed, the light yellow comforter missing. She ran up to the door and attempted to open it, only to find that it was locked. Leia fell down to her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"It wasn't real." She whispered to herself, trying desperately to stop crying. "It wasn't real…"


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 15: Glimpse of the Past**

 **A/N: I apologize for my absence. I have been very sick, but I am recovered. I hope that you like this chapter. Let me know what you think! I hope that you all are still enjoying this fic, even though the updates have been admittedly awful.**

The moment that Darth Vader entered her room, Leia jumped from her bed. She didn't even try to conceal her anger, nostrils flaring as she approached him.

"You drugged me." She seethed. She looked up at him, his height towering over her. The two troopers behind him gripped their guns, as if somehow he actually needed their protection.

Vader let out a low chuckle. "And you are angry with me."

"How dare you drug me?" She shook her head. "I never took you for a fool, but maybe you are one. You know that the drugs didn't work on me last time. I guess you are truly desperate and simply not competent enough to generate an intelligent idea."

"Now, now, _daughter_." His voice slithered into the air, the way he spoke was almost venomous. "Your words are sharp but your dagger doesn't cut enough to wound."

"I don't intend on killing you with words." Leia turned away from his. "I assume you are here to see how the drugs worked. I am very sorry to disappoint you that it didn't work as you planned."

Vader stood still, silent for a moment. He seemed to be considering his next words carefully. "You assume to know my plan. Your overconfidence has always been your greatest weakness. I suppose that is something you get from me. You think you know everything and before you know it, those you trust the most will turn on you. You think you know your friends, but you only know them on the surface. You cannot possibly understand the depth that resonates in the minds of those you believe are on your side."

"Luke would never betray me." She said. She felt defiant and almost like a child as she crossed her arms and sat on the bed.

"But hasn't he already? I am standing here alive and I think that is the greatest betrayal to you in the end. You thought that he would destroy me and save the galaxy from my so called 'tyranny'. You wanted him to help achieve your goal., that goal that your parents died for. And when he returned and informed you I was alive, I am quite sure you and the rest of your rambunctious rebels felt betrayed."

"He did what he thought was right. I don't agree with his actions. If it had been me, I would have cut you down without hesitation." She glared at him.

Vader turned to the two troopers in the room and quickly waved them away. As the door shut behind them, he looked down at her. "Your rage will prove to be instrumental once you have joined me."

"My rage is only directed at you." Leia felt confused by his statement. "How would that help you?"

"That is where the drugs come in." He stated. "Soon, your anger will be with Luke. I know that your hallucinations are already beginning to cloud your judgement. You may not think so, but I know that it is only a matter of time Then, when Luke makes his pathetic attempt to save you, you will cut him down and will be officially what you were destined to become."

Leia didn't reply. She just looked up at Darth Vader with disgust. He seemed to sense that she was done talking, but he did not turn to leave. He seemed suddenly tense and Leia watched as he walked over to sit on the bed next to her.

"This partnership between us must be built on trust." He was uncomfortable, yet he was trying to remain stoic. "It has occurred to me that you need to know things about me. You need to see me as a man and not just a machine."

"I'll never see you as anything other than a monster."

He ignored her comment. He was intent on forming some type of bond with his daughter, seeing that they would soon be the most powerful team in the galaxy. "Obi-Wan was my master. He began training me, even though the other Jedi masters believed me to be too old. He saw something within in me. They all believed that I was the chosen one."

Leia watched him carefully. "I was briefed on some of your history. I know that you were his Padawan. I know that you murdered all the Jedi, including the children. You marched into their temple and slaughtered innocent children who did nothing to you. I know that Obi-Wan managed to escape and lived out is days on Tatooine."

"Obi-Wan disfigured me. He was weak, just like your brother. He had the chance to murder me, but he walked away. You all think that a Jedi is a hero, but when it comes to ending the evil, they choke." Darth Vader said. He sounded bitter, but slightly triumphant at the same time.

Leia was surprised, yet she didn't bat an eyelash. "Is that why you wear your suit?"

"Yes." He answered honestly. "I underestimated Obi-Wan. I was stronger than him, but I wasn't thinking clearly. My world was crumbling, those I expected to join me betrayed me."

"They betrayed you because you were evil. Don't tell me these things as if our situations are the same. I won't be betrayed. I don't care what your drugs make me see."

Darth Vader nodded. "Our situations are different, but soon they will see you the same way Obi-Wan and your mother saw me."

Leia wondered for a moment what it would be like to be in his shoes. To firmly believe you were doing the right thing and to think that those you trust the most would have your back. To have your best friend and your lover turn against you. She felt the smallest twinge of pity, and then she immediately felt disgusted, He deserved no pity. He only deserved hatred. He was trying to manipulate her. She could not think of him as a person. She could not think of him as someone who was once capable of love. "I would like you to leave."

She didn't expect him to respect her wishes, but he stood up and walked to the door. "I will be back in a few hours and we will begin your training."


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 16: Monster**

 **A/N: Gasp! I am back with an update and yes it was a quick one! I know, I know, it is a miracle. I am really working hard to update this while I am having inspiration. I apologize if any of this information is inaccurate, but I am going with what works for this story. - I love all your wonderful reviews.**

Darth Vader stared out the glass window as the ship landed on the ground. The glass had been polished and his helmet glistened in the light reflection. It had been a long time since he had to been to this planet. He had not come back since everything happened a lifetime ago. He was a coward when it came to facing the turmoil that she caused. He felt as weak as the Jedi were when he thought of Padmé.

Naboo had certainly changed significantly without their beloved Queen Amidala. During the rise of the Empire, Naboo has prospered like it never had before. It was one of the few planets that had a good economy and maintained a steady rule. However, Emperor Palplatine demilitarized the planet, so they lacked in basic combat skills. They were essentially defenseless against any enemy and could be no aid to any ally. They were also being wiped out by the Empire controlling their climate and destroying their nature. The Rebels would see no reason to recruit this planet, but Darth Vader saw the potential in having allies in places that were least expected. None of them would expect him to return to Naboo after everything.

He knew that he had been standing rigid for far to long. His leading troops could sense his uneasiness, but none of them dared speak. They all stood behind him, waiting for his command.

He turned his head slightly. "Go get her."

Two troopers immediately left the room, exclaiming that they would retrieve her. In only a few moments, they returned with Leia. Darth Vader half expected her to put up an argument about leaving her room, but it was clear her curiosity got the best of her. She walked with an attitude that exuded elegance, her nose turned up as she strode past the troopers. She approached the window and peered out.

"Naboo?" She breathed out. "Why are we on Naboo? What does this have to do with my training? Is this because of the statue of Queen Amidala?"

"So impatient." He commented. "You will see, in time."

Leia cut her eyes at him and then noticed something out of the corner of her eye. A group of people were approaching their ship. Flags were flapping, the sigil of Naboo plastered proudly on each one. There were large men and women holding a sedan chair, bright reds and soft white decorated it.

The ramp of the ship lowered, and Vader motioned for the two of the to walk down. Leia straightened her posture and inwardly cursed as she thought of her appearance. Her outfit was clean, but it wasn't suitable for meeting with the Queen. Her hair was also a complete mess. She had attempted to braid it earlier, yet she found that her long tangles were chaotically out of control without a brush.

They ascended down the ramp. Stormtroopers trailed close behind, their guns already up and ready to fire if need be. The large men and women set down the sedan chair and the curtains rustled as Queen Sosha Soruna stepped out. Her brow was furrowed with irritation and Leia could tell that she was not happy to see them.

"Queen Soruna." Darth Vader greeted.

"Lord Vader." She said. Her painted face was beautiful, but her expression was disgusted. Her black hair was pulled up and decorated with gold bangles. "We are terribly sorry to hear about the loss of Emperor Palpatine."

"Yes, it was a tragic loss for the galaxy." He agreed. Leia noticed how flat his statement fell to everyone listening.

"He has been dead for months and yet his cruelty still impacts our planet." Queen Soruna said. "The Empire continues to alter our weather in attempts to make our planet uninhabitable."

Darth Vader nodded. "The satellites are still in place. Most of the actions made by the Emperor are still in action."

Queen Soruna glanced at Leia for the first time since her arrival. "Princess Leia of Alderaan. You support the Empire now? After what they did to your planet?"

"No. I do not agree with anything that the Empire stands for. I have spent my entire life working towards taking them down." Leia replied. She felt a flash of anger at the Queen's accusations. She did not understand why everyone was doubting her loyalty. After everything she had done for the galaxy, they all thought she would give up now. She felt insulted.

"You speak of fighting for every planet, but Naboo has been terrorized and received no help from the Republic. Our planet faces the same fate as yours and you have done nothing to try and help us."

"Nothing?" Leia asked. "We have been fighting against the Emperor, risking our lives and our loved ones, so that planets like yours can be free. We took down Palpatine and are still working to take down Vader."

"And yet here you stand." Queen Soruna said. She turned back to Vader and looked at him expectedly. "I assume you are for a reason. Palpatine made many trips here, but he never brought his assistant."

Darth Vader did not bristle at her comment. "I have come to negotiate a deal with you."

Queen Soruna laughed. "Are you sure it won't be an ultimatum?

"I am going to stop the satellites from controlling your climate." He said. "But in repayment for our generosity, you will become an ally to the Empire. You will offer us a place of refuge while Princess Leia begins her training."

"Emperor Palpatine considered us an ally and yet he still treated us as if we were a liability." She said. She looked over at the people behind her and reminded silent for a moment. She then looked and Darth Vader carefully and let out a sigh. "I do not have a choice, though. Our population cannot handle any more devastation. Destroy the satellites and you can remain here to train."

"The Empire will not forget this." Darth Vader replied.

"Neither will the people of Naboo." She said. "I cannot promise you that word won't get out of you being on this planet."

"That does not matter." Vader assured her. "The Rebels will not come here."

Leia cut in before the Queen could. "How do you know?"

"You rebels aren't as clever as you think you are." He said and then began making his way back up the ramp. He didn't say anything more to the Queen, who seemed somewhat surprised by his lack of etiquette. Still, like any politician, she did not let it faze her.

Leia looked at the Queen and frowned as she watched her get back into her chair. She felt helpless in this situation and she didn't like it. The public was viewing her as a monster. All those things Queen Soruna said about the Republic neglecting Naboo was true. They were so focused on the big picture that sometimes they overlooked the issues that threatened individual planets. As the Queen of Naboo was carried away, Leia wondered if she had been viewed as a monster to some from the very start.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 17: Training Begins**

 **A/N: This is my most reviewed fic and I love all of you taking the time to leave such nice comments when I am so terrible at updating. Let me know what you think about the start of Leia's training!**

Leia walked through the small market place in the city, Darth Vader at her side as Stormtroopers lingered behind them. She glanced over at the owners of the stands and watched as they cast fearful eyes or simply had faces of repulsion. She wondered if Vader ever grew tired of having the entire galaxy either fear him or loathe him. She wanted to believe that the looks were only for him, but she refused to be naïve. People clearly had changed their minds about her.

As they made their way through the almost empty streets, Leia recalled the dream she had last night. It was the second dream that she was struck down by Luke. She watched her brother kill Han and then stood there, waiting for him to end her too. Except, that time, he spent more time verbally attacking her before driving his lightsaber through her chest. He called her weak and pathetic. A disgrace to the Force for refusing to use her powers to help the galaxy. There was a strange glint in Luke's eyes. The calming blue waters ablaze with a fire that screamed of destruction.

Leia shook her head, reminding herself that it was the drugs making her think such irrational thoughts. With her mind clear, she noticed that they were going towards a field. She looked at Vader, her eyebrow raising in suspicion.

"What are we doing?" she asked.

"As I said earlier, your training is beginning," he said.

Leia let out a sigh and wondered what exactly she should do. She didn't want to train with him, but she kept thinking about how she was going to take him down. _I need to be trained, otherwise I will never stand a chance. If I let him teach me, I can learn his weaknesses and then I can take him down. I just need to be careful. I can't let my rage take over._

As they entered the small field, lush with vibrant greens, Leia waited for Vader to give some sort of instruction.

"Go to the center," he pointed.

Leia let out a sigh and walked to the center of the field. She briefly wondered if Vader would question her sudden willingness to submit to his desires. However, she figured that he would assume the same thing that she did. It wasn't like she had much of a choice. Besides, she needed to get close to him, and if she kept fighting him, it would only take longer to take him down.

"Okay, now what?" she asked, the sass in her voice came out naturally.

Darth Vader reached his hand down to his light saber and tossed it over to her. Leia quickly reacted and caught it, her mouth dropping open. She glanced up at him, her eyes wide, shimmering a sweet caramel color.

"Fire," he said.

Leia felt herself gasp. She watched as the Stormtroopers raised the guns and in a split second, red shots plummeted towards her. She fumbled with the lightsaber, panic rising from the pit of her stomach. She clicked on the lightsaber and looked at the red gleam. The sound of the humming brought her an immediate sense of comfort and she found herself raising it swiftly. She wondered if the red lightsaber would create confusion with the red blaster shots, but as she swung upward, the collision between the two was as clear as night and day. Leia watched as the shot ricocheted off and crashed into a nearby tree.

An overwhelming sense of pride seeped from Darth Vader as he watched her. The Stormtroopers continued to shoot, and Leia kept the lightsaber swinging. She repelled the shots, her lack of control sending the gleams of red in various directions. She had already successfully knocked down two trees, the crashing booms made her ears ring.

"Close your eyes," Vader commanded. "Feel the control that radiates through you."

"Are you insane?!" Leia screamed out at him. "Make them stop! I'm destroying everything!"

"You have the power to make them stop," he assured her.

Leia mentally cursed and felt an inner conflict grow within her. _If I close my eyes, I won't be able to see the blaster shots. But, If I don't get some sort of control, this is going to go on until I destroy every tree in the area and then who knows what else. What if I hit an innocent person? I just need to close my eyes and feel what's around me. I must trust Vader. I mean too much to him, he won't let the blaster take me out._

Leia closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the lightsaber. She took a slow breath and listened to hear the blaster go off. She emptied her mind of all thought and found herself swinging the lightsaber. She heard the noise of the collision and then the boom of it taking something down. Leia opened her eyes to see one of the Stormtroopers on the ground. The other stopped their firing and quickly looked at Vader to see what he wanted them to do. Although he was wearing a mask, Leia knew that he was smiling.

"You did it," he said and held out his hand, the lightsaber leaving her and flying back to him. "This was your first time wielding a lightsaber and yet you already have such natural ability."

Leia was overwhelmed with what was happening. She nodded at him, her eyes lingering on the lightsaber. The exhilaration of using it was indescribable. Even though she had no idea what she was doing, something about it felt like she had been doing it her whole life. When she closed her eyes and emptied her mind, she felt like she was unstoppable. When she didn't reply, Vader let out a small laugh that surprised her.

"We will get you your own lightsaber soon," he promised, and then turned away from her.

"It that it?" she found herself slightly disappointed that the training was ending so quickly. She knew that she should be angry at Vader for putting her in such a high risk situation on her first day, but for some reason she didn't feel any anger with him at all. In fact, she was happy that things were progressing at this type of pace. If she had her own lightsaber soon, then she would be able to take him out.

"For now," he nodded. "There is someplace that I would like for us to go to."

Leia furrowed her brow. "Where?"

"To visit the statue of Queen Amidala."


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 18: Queen Amidala**

 **Author's note: What? I'm alive? What a shock! I wrote this chapter and am feeling pretty excited to get back with this story, so let me know what you think! I love all your wonderful feedback (:**

Leia followed Darth Vader with soft footsteps. She watched as he led her back through Naboo, paying no attention to the people that were likely still casting them wary glances. She felt like she was in a trance. Something inside her felt compelled to follow him. It was like there was a sudden emptiness that she needed to fill. Somehow, her subconscious was forcing her follow with a certain amount of allure.

 _Why is he taking me to the statue of Queen Amidala? What is the point in any of this? Was it because of what I saw that day? Did he see it, too? What was so special about the statue?_

Darth Vader slowed his steps as they approached the statue. Leia vaguely became aware of the few stormtroopers that were lounging around in the area. She cast her gaze up at the statue and felt the same awe from the first time she saw. The Queen was beautiful. There was an elegance to her that others wish to achieve. Her eyes were stern, but gentle. The looked inviting to her, something that not many shared a common belief on. Most saw her as regale and nothing more. It was impossible for Leia to see it as so one-dimensional.

"Why are we here?" Leia asked, breaking her eyes from the statue.

She flicked her eyes over to Vader, who seemed to be in his own kind of trance. It was strange, watching the masked man look so thoughtfully towards something. He didn't reply to her question, which she expected to infuriate her. Strangely, she felt at peace. It was like the universe was still and the only thing that existed in that moment was the two of them and this statue.

"Does it bother you?" he asked her suddenly. His tone was inquisitive and somehow innocent. It was odd, and yet appropriate for this moment.

"Does what bother me?" she wondered, not understanding what he was referring to.

"You dedicate all this time and effort into destroying me," he said. "And yet people like Queen Soruna are still resentful. I'm sure she is not the only one. Does it not bother you?"

Leia considered him for a moment, unsure of how to reply.

"I suppose it can bother me," she admitted. "However, it's not about that. I know I'm doing what I can to keep this galaxy safe."

Vader nodded at her. "I know that you care about public opinion, which is understandable. In another lifetime, I once cared about what people thought and it was consuming. So many expectations to live up to, so many people to please. Your brother got a taste of that recently, but you have been dealing with it your entire life."

"Politics are a grueling thing. Your reputation is everything, and the expectations placed can be enough to crack even the sanest of minds." she said thoughtfully. "Queen Amidala was subjected to many pressures and expectations. It's such a shame she died so young."

Leia noticed the way that Vader tensed. She watched his fists clenched and waited to see how he would respond. He finally broke eye contact with the statue and looked at Leia.

"Yes," he agreed. "I met her when she was fourteen."

Leia's eyes widened at his sentence. Her mouth was threatening to fall open, but she fought the urge to do so. She crossed her arms and looked back up at the statue, not wanting to stare at the lifeless mask as he told her personal things.

"She was with Obi-Wan, and the two of them got me out of a bad situation. I was too old to train as a Jedi, but Obi-Wan fought for me. He believed in me. I was the chosen one."

Leia frowned, not quite sure why Vader seemed to be so drawn to the statue of Queen Amidala. They met once, when he was obviously a different person, so why did she matter?

"You didn't bring balance to the Force," Leia said, her words sounding surprisingly soft. "You couldn't handle it. You felt all that pressure and it broke you. You didn't bring balance at all."

"No, I didn't," he said. "Not in the way they expected. You see, there was so much pressure for me to do great things, and yet I saw so much darkness. Luke can't see that. He is the light half. You are the dark half. The prophecy was true, in a sense, I brought balance to the Force by creating dark and light."

Ignoring his comment, Leia decided to hone in on what was repeating in her mind. "But what is the significance of Amidala in all of this? Why her statue?"

Vader placed a hand on the statue with a gentleness that Leia didn't know could be possible. He fingers moved across it, caressing it with tenderness. He was no longer looking at Leia, and it was obvious that he was avoiding her gaze.

"This statue is significant because she plays a role in all of this," he said slowly. "She helped me achieve this prophecy."

Leia felt her heart stop from his words. She felt like her world was spinning.

"What?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

"Leia, Padme Amidala was your mother."

Leia processed the words. She felt confusion that quickly morphed into an anger that surge through her. How could someone like Amidala fall for him? How could she risk everything for him? Couldn't she see that he was evil? Maybe she did. Maybe that's why she hid her and Luke from him. Maybe it wasn't even consensual to begin with. He was a vile man after all.

"What happened to her?" she asked, her tone alarming. Vader lifted his hand and made a gesture before turning away from her. "What did you do to her!?"

She felt two Stormtroopers grab her and she struggled to break free. She felt a small prick and knew immediately that he had drugged her again.

"Tell me what happened!" she screamed, shoving at the troopers. "She was my mother! Tell me what happened!"

She let out an unintelligible noise before her world faded to black.


	20. Scattered

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Chapter 19: Shattered**

 **A/N: The fact that you guys still like this story even though I'm notorious for slow updates is awesome. Let me know what you guys think. This chapter is one of the ones that I have been wanting to write since I started this story, so I was happy to write it. Reviews make my day.**

She woke up. The room was clean. The yellow sheets were back. She heard the voices of the Stormtroopers shouting at each other from outside. She was reliving it all over again. She knew that. Deep down, she was well aware that she had been drugged by her sadistic father and she was trapped in a torturous mind game that was supposed to drain her psyche. Yet, despite this, she was falling for the trap all over again.

In a trance, she made her way to the door and opened it. She was surprised that it was unlocked. There were three Stormtroopers there. They were halfway through their bickering when Leia realized who they all were.

Before Han could react to the plan Luke had suggested, Leia ran towards him. She flung her arms around him, embracing him tightly. "Han." She breathed out. She couldn't believe that he was here. She felt his arms wrap around her and she closed her eyes for a moment before realizing they were out in the open. Vader would find them soon if they weren't quick.

"We need to get out of here. We can all say hello later, Princess Leia." The third trooper replied.

"Carlist!" Leia couldn't believe it. "How did you three find me?" She looked to Luke, completely overwhelmed with all of them here. "I told you not to rescue me! This isn't worth risking your lives over. It's my battle to fight."

Luke didn't reply. His expression was empty. He looked up at her suddenly, his eyes dark. They weren't the normal bright and innocent blue. No, there were treacherous things lurking his eyes, dancing in a shadow land she had never seen in him before.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice scratchy. It sounded different. Like he had become hoarse from screaming for hours and hours. It broke at the end, rising several octaves higher, almost as if he might break down and cry.

"What?" Leia said, clearly confused. "Tell you what?"

Luke flicked on his lightsaber and suddenly got into a defensive position. The green was glowing off his face. "You didn't tell me!"

Han stepped in front of Leia. "Kid, what are you on about?"

"She's been lying to all of us!" Luke hissed out. "She's been lying to herself!"

Carlist stepped towards Luke, reaching out a comforting arm. Luke screamed out in protest and spun, slicing his lightsaber into him. Carlist choked, his eyes rolling back into his head. Luke kicked the man away, bringing his weapon back to face Han and Leia.

"Carlist!" Leia cried out.

"What the hell?" Han reached for his blaster.

Leia watched in horror as Han pulled out his blaster. However, when he brought it into sight, it wasn't his blaster. It was a baby. A small child, pale and defenseless. The baby cried out, pitiful wails filling the air.

"Father brought balance to the Force with us," Luke said, that foreign glint in his eyes sparking like a firework. "But he never wanted balance. He only ever wanted evil."

Leia looked at the baby and watched as it opened its eyes. She felt herself gasp. His eyes were familiar. It was like looking into a mirror. This baby was hers. There was no doubt in her mind. It looked to her, crying out for help.

"This child is evil" Luke screamed. "Give it to me! I can end it before it begins! Darth Vader will have an army and it begins with him."

Han got down on one knee and offered up the child to him.

Leia felt herself panic. _It's just a baby. An innocent child. No, it's_ my _baby. They can't do this. They don't know that it's evil. How could they know?_

"Han, stop!" Leia pulled at him. "That's our child!"

Han shoved Leia away, pushing her to the ground. She hit it with a hard thud and looked at him He didn't meet her eyes but muttered something she never thought she would hear. "I should have known never to have a child with you. Bad bloodline…"

Luke raised his light saber over the child and began to swing.

Leia screamed and held out her hand. The light saber flung out of Luke's grasp and into hers. The two men looked at her with confusion. She rose from the ground, gripping the light saber so tight that her knuckles were practically glowing a ghostly white.

"Hand me my son," she hissed, pointing the light saber at them.

"Evil dies tonight," Luke said, lunging for the baby with his hands.

Leia swung the light saber, striking Luke right into the chest. She watched as her brother toppled down. His hands clutched his chest and gave out a few breathes before he faded into nothing.

"What have you done?" Han cried out scrambling away from her in fear. He hid the child from her, and his screams were echoing in the hall. How Darth Vader did not know they were there was astonishing, but she was not concerned about him. He wasn't trying to murder her child.

Leia turned, advancing on him. "I said, give me my son."

"No!" Han protested, "You don't understa-"

Leia shoved the light saber into him before he could finish. Han's eyes were wide, and he looked at her with shock. His body started to slack, and Leia quickly grabbed the baby from his grasp. The baby cried and cried, so she gently rocked it.

"It's okay," she whispered, soothing it. "It's okay, Mommy's here…"

She closed her eyes, rocking him until the cries ceased into the sound of steady breathing. He nestled against her, his warm skin tingling against hers.

When she opened her eyes, she was back in the cell. She felt cold, her arms cradling nothing but wadded up sheets. The room wasn't clean. There were no bright colors or any trace of someone trying to rescue her. There was no Carlist. There was no Han. There was no Luke. It was just her. Her hand flittered to her stomach. Or was it?


End file.
